Of All Creatures
by YamatosSenpai
Summary: Merman AU/ Dark Fairytale/ BL. A story set in Ancient Babylon, Ikkaku Madarame is orphaned and driven from his homeland before he is found by Kenpachi of Zaraki, a local fisherman with a mysterious past. One day, Ikkaku comes face to face with a merman on the bank of the river. But are merfolk beautiful creatures or dangerous foes?
1. Part I

"Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man."

-Homer's The Odyssey

* * *

The boy stormed into the small house, his temper ignited into a fiery rage. He slammed the door and began to pace, his bare feet kicking dust into the air. "What is it, bubala?" his grandmother asked, her eyes watching him tiredly. "Did you bring us a rabbit?"

"No, Bubbeh," the boy murmured, squatting on the floor and tracing his finger through the dirt absently. "It got away."

"Is your Grandfather angry?" his Grandmother asked, her eyes returning to her work on the table. She chopped the cabbage thinly, her wrinkled, rough hands working quickly. The boy shrugged his shoulders with a dismissive grunt before slumping forward, resting his head on his bent knees. She continued working, letting out an impatient sigh. "Then it's cabbage soup again tonight…"

The boy looked up at his grandmother with a scowl, his almond shaped eyes narrowing with cynicism. "I hate cabbage." He stood up quickly and crossed his arms over his chest. His grandmother smiled at the young boy, acting so grown up before his time, and leaned forward, patting his curly hair. The boy stomped his foot and shook off her hand coolly. "I mean it, I hate cabbage and I hate soup."

"You can hate it all you want, bubala, but you _will_ eat it…" his grandmother said sternly, returning to her chores. The boy groaned, resuming a squat and hugging his knees in melodramatic despair. "You should have caught the rabbit…" his grandmother added, winking at the boy when he looked up.

"I'll catch two rabbits next time." The boy insisted. "I'll never eat cabbage again."

"I'm sixty-seven years old," his grandmother spoke softly, the knife slapping against the cutting board rhythmically. "I'm rather sick of cabbage too."

A terrible, agonized scream cut through the air. The hair on the boy's arms prickled and he looked toward his grandmother fearfully. Another hoarse scream followed and then the shrieking of many people filled the air. The grandmother pushed herself away from the table, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the knife in her hand. "Ikkaku…"

"Grandma?" the boy whispered, his hands clutching at the worn fabric of her dress.

The boy's stomach twisted painfully as his grandmother stepped toward the window. She peered out, her dark eyes scanning the scene with detachment. She mumbled to herself, a prayer Ikkaku could hardly make out, and spun on her heels hurriedly. "Boy…" she said suddenly, pushing him into the chair. She snatched the blanket from the sleeping mat and threw it onto the table. She scurried through the small house, gathering various supplies that she wrapped into a knapsack.

"Grandma?" Ikkaku repeated unsurely. "What is going on?"

"Take this, bubala," his grandmother instructed, placing the knapsack in his lap before lacing sandals on his dirtied feet. "I need you to run."

"Run? Where? Why?" Ikkaku asked in a small voice.

"Just run." His grandmother instructed, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "Run and don't stop. Don't stop for anything."

"But…"

"No! Just listen!" his grandmother shouted, turning to check the door guardedly. "There are men outside. They've come to kill us…"

"Why?" the boy began to cry.

"Shhh… don't cry. Men don't cry. You must be a man now." His grandmother said sternly before kissing the tear that trailed down his dusty cheek. "Run and don't look back."

"But you walk slow! How can you run?!" Ikkaku demanded, his throat constricting.

"I am not going." His grandmother's voice faltered. "They will be up the hill any moment now. You must go!"

"But Grandma…!"

"Enough! GO!" his grandmother shouted, yanking the boy from the chair by his arm. She dragged him to the back wall of the house and began to chip away at the wood. She found a weak spot of water damaged, rotting wood and the wall gave way in a section large enough for the child to escape. "Go!"

"Grandma…" the boy sputtered, the information unable to be processed.

"Ikkaku," his grandmother whispered, the voices outside growing horrifyingly louder. "You have your father's blood in you. He was a great, strong, brave man. Be strong now." His grandmother kissed him on the forehead. "And live… live like my daughter, your mother, should have…" Ikkaku let out a surprised yelp as his grandmother pushed him through the hole roughly. He rolled across the sand for a few feet and then just lay there, staring at the sky.

The sky was grey and the air was choked with smoke. Ikkaku sat up silently, staring at the village down the hill. It was unbelievable. Just minutes ago the village was serene. His friends Isaia and Tovan had been playing tag, he had been too angry about the rabbit to join in. The rabbi had pinched his cheek and told him to cheer up. He had grumbled something and stalked up the hill to his house.

Men wearing black leather clothes and thick metal armor had infiltrated the peaceful village. With no soldiers to fight them, they began to annihilate the unarmed citizens. They razed the homes and ransacked the shops. They pulled young women, and even young girls, from their families, killing the families and ravaging the women in the streets. Ikkaku gagged, vomiting onto the ground.

Ikkaku couldn't run. Ikkaku couldn't even think. He sat there on top of the hill for several minutes. He was roused back into consciousness when there was a shout from inside his house. He crawled forward on his hands and knees, pressing his face against the wood of his home. His grandmother cursed the men, using words Ikkaku had only heard from the old town drunkards.

There was a loud crash and one of the men growled in agony. The smell of cabbage soup filled the air and then his grandmother screamed. Her scream died midway and Ikkaku bit down on his fist. A strange metallic scent filled the air, mingling with the cabbage soup sickly.

Ikkaku peered through the hole, gasping as his grandmother's face came into view. She was prone on the dirt floor, her throat splayed grotesquely. Her eyes blinked and Ikkaku screamed. Was she alive? Was she angry he had not run away? Ikkaku jumped up and bolted toward the knapsack. Without stopping, he hooked his finger around the tie and ran.

"There!" he heard someone shout. "Catch him!"

Ikkaku ran as fast as he could, the warrior giving chase gaining on him with every step. Ikakku cursed, clutching the knapsack to his chest and increasing his speed. Ikkaku was the fastest boy in his village, but a mere boy could never outmatch a Mitannian warrior and within a minute the soldier had snatched the back of Ikkaku's tunic.

Ikkaku dropped the knapsack to fumble with his rope belt, screaming as the man's arms clutched at him. The rope cut into his abdomen and he groaned as the knot tightened. Ikkaku growled, scratching at the man furiously. The man laughed as he pulled a knife from his belt. Without hesitating he sliced upward, cutting Ikkaku from his belly to above his clavicle. Ikkaku shrieked in pain, his hands shooting to the bottom of his stomach, expecting his intestines to spill out onto the sand. The wound, although deep and painful, was not immediately life threatening.

The Mitannian warrior tossed Ikkaku into the air, laughing as the boy fell to the ground with a sickening thud a few feet away. Ikkaku felt his arm break and he snarled, spit foaming in his mouth. He staggered to his feet, something untapped inside of him willing him to survive. He stumbled back toward the warrior and picked up his bloodied knapsack.

The warrior replaced his knife, unsheathing his sword with the shake of his head. Ikkaku turned away from the man, walking calmly as he carried his knapsack. The warrior taunted him but Ikkaku ignored him, limping further away with each passing second. The warrior began to jog, intent on finally finishing the boy off, and that is when Ikkaku broke into a sprint.

Ikkaku couldn't outrun the grown man. He was muscular and strong, with long legs and a wide reach. Ikkaku gritted his teeth as he bolted forward. He had only one advantage in this game of survival, he knew the terrain.

He took a deep breath and jumped, the cold water of the Tigris enveloping him. The warrior followed unsteadily, the water reaching his waist within a few steps. Ikkaku rolled onto his back, resting the knapsack on his stomach and letting himself float downstream. The warrior shook his head, calling back to his comrades. He gave a dismissive wave with his hand and Ikkaku released a heavy breath. Finally free of his pursuer, the boy let himself be carried away by the river.

The boy fell in and out of consciousness and the next time he awoke the stars were in the sky. The boy shuddered and let out a terrified groan. The river was black, the sky was black, and the creatures that moved on land and in the river were black. Ikkaku closed his eyes and began to pray. The breeze picked up, carrying the faint sound of music on the wind.

Something caught Ikkaku's ankle and he dipped into the water momentarily. He spit the water from his mouth and tottered, straightening up and treading. He looked around, kicking his legs back and forth freely. It was too dark; it was impossible to see. Ikkaku saw a sand bar up ahead. He rolled onto his stomach, swimming one-handed toward the tree-filled bar. His broken arm ached from clutching the knapsack but he ignored it, paddling awkwardly.

Something wrapped around his other leg and he cursed. He kicked his foot back and forth, but he was stuck. He reached down, his fingertips brushing against what felt like a hand. He managed to let out a scream before he was dragged underwater. Bubbles escaped from his mouth and nose and he threw out his arms, tossing wildly.

Suddenly, a great golden light exploded in front of him. His eyes widened in wonder and he unconsciously stopped struggling. The beautiful golden light was warm, almost like sunshine, and it radiated from the skin of a beautiful woman. The woman's tendrils spread around her like a halo and she smiled. She opened her mouth, golden light pouring out alongside enchanting music.

The last bit of Ikkaku's air escaped his lips and he smiled. The woman was handsome, her skin exposed to the navel, including her shapely breasts. Ikkaku felt the blood rush to his cheeks. She smiled, one hand trailing up Ikkaku's calf and the other brushing against her lower body. Where a woman would have legs, this water nymph had the body of a fish with a beautiful fan-like tail.

She sang to Ikkaku and even as his body began to choke he listened intently. His throat and lungs burned, his chest pumping with effort. His body ached and the pain sobered him. In the corner of his eye he realized his knapsack was caught in the reeds just ahead. He looked at the water nymph's hand clutching his leg and he frowned, shaking his head.

She nodded her head and leaned forward, her lips touching the young boy's softly. Ikkaku needed air. He would die without air. Without a plan, he struck the water nymph across the face, his dirty nails cutting her fair skin. She shrieked, her voice turning scratchy and terrifying.

She hissed, her beautiful face twisting horribly. Her mouth opened exposing several rows of sharp, needle-like fangs. She lunged forward and the whole river lit up. Ikkaku's skin prickled and he began to shake as the entire Tigris, as far as he could see, began to glow different colors. Her shriek had alerted the other creatures…

Ikkaku's arm burned in agony as he was lifted into the air. He gasped, breathing in and out rapidly. It was still night, but the light in the river made it bright as day. Ikkaku looked up at the hook that was gouged through his shoulder and then he looked down. The creature still had hold of his leg and as he was lifted from the water, the creature's weight gored him on the hook. He roared in agony, kicking at the creature desperately.

"Stay still!" a man yelled. Ikkaku turned his head to the side, seeing the man standing on the sand bar for the first time. "Don't wiggle so much!" the man knelt on the ground, directing the hook, and Ikkaku, back toward to sand bar. "And cover yer ears for God's sake!"

As they approached land, the creature let go with a trill shriek and sank back into the water, her eyes the only thing above the surface of the water. Ikkaku was dropped unceremoniously onto the sand, the hook still impaling him.

"Well fuck." The man blurted out, wiping his forehead with his hand. "Yer jus' a kid." The man kneeled next to him and placed his hand on Ikkaku's chest. "This's gonna hurt." The man twisted the hook and then yanked it free. Ikkaku yelled, baring his teeth. "Yer tough. Good."

"I lost my knapsack…" Ikkaku whispered, crawling toward the bank and staring into the river desolately. "It was…" Ikkaku paused and swallowed painfully. "I need it…"

"Hey," the man said softly, his large hand lifting Ikkaku's chin. "Yer alive. Ya did okay." The man released the boy and cleared his throat. "How'd ya get out here anyway? You've got a funny dialect…"

Ikkaku saw the man's lips moving but he couldn't hear him. Ikkaku shook his head and cupped his hand over his ear. To his surprise he felt a thick copious liquid oozing from his left ear. He wiped at it, frightened as he discovered blood on his fingertips. The man stepped forward and brushed his hand over Ikkaku's ear, his mouth moving as he spoke.

"I can't hear you…" Ikkaku shouted. "I can't hear you!"

* * *

The man's name was Kenpachi. That wasn't really his name, but that's what the kids called him, so that's what he went by. He was a twenty-something Babylonian who wished to escape a dark past. He lived on the Tigris River in a shack made of sticks and mud. He had no wife and never took one.

The women at the market called him a collector because, despite his continual protests of wishing to be alone, he was a magnet for orphaned and run away children. At any given time his tiny hut was home to ten or twelve children. He made his living selling fish and precious stones at the market. The children would weave intricate baskets, a skill he would teach each of them, and they would be allowed to keep their earnings. One look at his large, rough hands and you could guess where his skills truly lie. His past was a subject of great interest amongst the gossip mongers of the market.

His idyllic life was shattered the moment that he fished Ikkaku Madarame from the Tigris River. He mended the broken arm and tended to the large cut across the boy's stomach and chest. He guiltily stitched up the hole left by the hook. And then all he could do was wait for the boy to wake up.

It took four days for Ikkaku to wake up. Eventually his eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring at a brown ceiling. He sat up with a groan, the hand of his uninjured arm shooting to his shoulder uncomfortably. "Damn it."

Two little girls whispered to one another, their large brown eyes searching him curiously. "Don't stare." Ikkaku mumbled as he climbed to his feet. He felt his chest vibrate but he couldn't hear his own voice. His hand went to his throat and he spoke slowly, testing. "It's not nice." Nothing. He heard nothing. His throat quivered beneath his hand but there was no sound.

The littlest girl stood up and held out her hand as if in introduction. Her lips moved rapidly but silently. Ikkaku shook his head, gesturing to his ear in confusion. "I can't hear you…"

"Ah, good morning," Kenpachi said as he stepped into the mud and stick hut. He was a large man and he had to bend over to stand in his own house. He pat Ikkaku on the back and smiled tightly. "Can you hear me?"

Ikkaku looked at the man cautiously. He was larger than any man Ikkaku had ever seen. His muscles were lean but well defined. His face was scarred, but handsome. His eyes, green like the treetops, were small and sharp. Ikkaku watched the man's mouth move and groaned. "I can't hear you."

"Well fuck." Kenpachi swore, kicking out at a bucket beside the wall. The kids in the hut scurried away and Ikkaku took a step back. Kenpachi smiled, exposing sharp, white teeth. He raised his hands peaceably and sat down with a thud. "Sorry, kid. Ah fuck. Ya can't fuckin' hear me…" Kenpachi began to gesture with his hands. "Are you hungry?"

"Food? Yes. I want food." Ikkaku said empathically, nodding his head. "I'm so hungry… but I don't have money…"

Kenpachi shook his head and frowned thoughtfully. "I don't want yer money…" Kenpachi lifted his finger in pause. "Can ya read?" Kenpachi shook his head with a groan. "Never mind, I can barely fuckin' read…" Kenpachi leaned out the door of the hut and bellowed. "Someone bring a bowl of soup for our little Selkie…" Kenpachi eyed the group of children impatiently. "Now… girls… someone…" Kenpachi bit down on his lip in aggravation. "If I have ta get up…"

Ikkaku was spooning soup into his mouth within the minute. He hadn't realized how truly hungry he was until it was in front of him. He ate the soup, abandoning the spoon and swallowing it directly from the bowl. "Thanks…" Ikkaku said.

"We need ta talk." Kenpachi whispered brushing his fingers over Ikkaku's right ear. "This ear's still alive. Wake it up…" Kenpachi grabbed a tool from his belt and without warning pushed it into Ikkaku's right ear. Ikkaku struggled but Kenpachi held him down easily, lowering him to the floor. "Shhh. I won't hurt ya…" Kenpachi nodded in relief as thick, pungent fluid began to funnel from Ikkaku's ear. "Lay here, jus' like this, until I tell ya you can move."

The sun had set before Kenpachi allowed Ikkaku to move. The young man stepped into the hut and looked down at the boy with a mischievous smile. "Can ya hear me yet?"

"I can…" Ikkaku said with a nod. "It's faint but…"

"Your left ear is useless." Kenpachi interrupted. "Keep your right one safe from now on."

"Okay…" Ikkaku answered unsurely.

"Now come on out." Kenpachi instructed. "Come introduce yerself to the tribe."

"Tribe?" Ikkaku repeated.

"Yeah." Kenpachi said with a smirk. "You'll see… hurry yer ass up." Ikkaku climbed to his feet slowly, his left side plagued by stabbing pains. He stepped out of the hut and walked toward the fire. A girl patted an empty space on the log next to her and Ikkaku sat down obediently.

Kenpachi stood in the center of the circle, his back to the fire. His long, black hair fell into his face and as he smiled he look truly possessed. "My name is Kenpachi of Zaraki. Like everyone else here, I'm a Babylonian. I don't like talkin' about myself much, but for conversation sake, I'll say that I used to travel for my work…" Kenpachi gestured to Ikkaku with a smile. "Who are you?"

"Me…" Ikkaku began slowly. "I'm Ikkaku Madarame and I'm an Assyrian." Ikkaku looked around at the other children. "My village was destroyed… my family was killed… I escaped on the river… and then… and then… there was this bright golden light and…"

"And nothin'." Kenpachi interjected firmly. "I thought ya were a grown man and I hooked ya rather cruelly. I do apologize. " Kenpachi smiled at the circle of children. "Ikkaku, yer welcome ta stay here so's long as ya do yer part."

"And what is my part?" Ikkaku asked dubiously.

"We'll discuss that later." Kenpachi growled, his smile twisting into something much more sinister.

**SIXTEEN YEARS LATER**

"Ikkaku," Kenpachi muttered, wiping his hands on his apron. "Hand me the cleaver." Kenpachi slung a fat shaboot onto the wooden table and turned, extending his hand to the young man impatiently. "IKKAKU!"

The young man turned quickly and eyed the larger man attentively. "Yes?"

"Hand me the fuckin' cleaver." Kenpachi murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh, okay, right." Ikkaku said as he unrolled a thick scroll of cloth which held Kenpachi's blades. He untied the cleaver and handed it to Kenpachi. Ikkaku's attention returned to the bustling market. The morning was hot and dry and Ikkaku's skin was already covered in a sheen of sweat.

"Can I have the filet knife?" Kenpachi asked, tossing the fish's head into a waste bin. Ikkaku nodded and handed the knife to Kenpachi wordlessly.

"Hey, Kenpachi…"

"Hmm?" Kenpachi answered absently, his hands working quickly. He sliced the meat easily and discarded the bones. He eyed Ikkaku thoughtfully before clearing his throat.

"Aren't you bored here?" Ikkaku asked, his dark eyes glittering.

"No, I like it here." Kenpachi nodded toward a group of beautiful young women but Ikkaku shook his head, making a displeased face. "Ya know..." Kenpachi paused awkwardly. "Yer too old to hang around with me. Yer not little and cute anymore, you'll scare customers away."

Ikkaku arched a shaped brow and grinned. He shook his head in disagreement and hopped over the stall partitions loftily. "I'm not interested in that shit."

"Huh?" Kenpachi asked in confusion, his brows knit. His face softened and he groaned irritably. "Oh." Kenpachi turned around grabbing another shaboot from the pile and tossed it onto the bloodied work table.

Over the day, Kenpachi grew quieter and more introverted, a side that the younger children had never seen before. He barely spoke during the long walk back to his hut by the river. That night the group of children, numbering fifteen now, were huddled around the campfire, Ikkaku, now the eldest at 23, told stories until the children could no longer keep their eyes open.

"They missed you." Ikkaku said softly, scooping the bottom of the pot for the last remnants of stew. "Your stories are better than mine."

"I've been busy," Kenpachi replied simply, taking the bowl from Ikkaku with a nod. "I've been thinkin'."

"About the river?" Ikkaku pressed curiously.

"Of course, idiot…" Kenpachi snapped. "What the fuck else?" Kenpachi took a spoonful of stew into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Kenpachi eyed Ikkaku with concern. "I won't be goin' to the river anymore."

"What? Why?" Ikkaku demanded, his voice tight with agitation.

"I'm gettin' older…" Kenpachi began to explain.

"Bullshit." Ikkaku growled. "You're what…?"

"42." Kenpachi answered with a dry laugh. "Give or take a few months."

"You're still in great shape." Ikkaku insisted, looking Kenpachi up and down in disbelief at his statement. "You can't quit! I thought you… I thought you knew what needed to be done!"

"Do you believe in witchcraft, sorcery, that sort of thing?" Kenpachi asked suddenly, his green eyes boring into Ikkaku.

"Well, I suppose I do…" Ikkaku answered thoughtfully. "I've seen some amazing things."

"I can't go back to the water." Kenpachi replied cryptically. He placed his bowl on the ground and leaned forward, his knee knocking against Ikkaku's. "And I need you to promise me something," Kenpachi demanded, the urgency of his voice making Ikkaku's skin prickle. "When I'm gone, I need you to protect this place. The kids come and go, and I'm happy for them, but this place is the only place for them when they're here."

"Kenpachi." Ikkaku spoke softly, the name feeling heavy on his tongue. "Why are you saying this?"

""Cause no one fuckin' lives forever." Kenpachi growled. "Swear it." He stood up, towering over Ikkaku. "Swear to me that you'll keep my home safe."

"Okay," Ikkaku said, raising his hands peaceably. "I swear."

"Good." Kenpachi said with a huff of breath. He sat back down on the log heavily, his knees jutting out in opposite directions. "Glad that's settled."

"Kenpachi…" Ikkaku asked. "Why do you stay here? Why do you do the things you do?"

After sixteen years together, Ikkaku knew many things about the other man. Kenpachi loved children, especially little girls, and he kept them close out of genuine kindness. He hated pickles but would take double cucumbers on his food. He was good at fishing, it was his livelihood, but he couldn't stand to watch the fish suffocate. He would pretend to be busy collecting stones while he was really taking a nap. But none of those things accounted for much. Who was Kenpachi of Zaraki before he became Kenpachi of Zaraki?

"I'm waitin'." Kenpachi answered. He looked over at Ikkaku and smiled tightly.

"For what?"

"To be useful again."

"Useful?"

"Yeah, yer not the first person I've fished outta the Tigris."

"Other children?" Ikkaku asked curiously.

"Yes and no." Kenpachi leaned his head back and stared up at the dark early morning sky. "I was probably eighteen or nineteen, they were younger but not too young… It was the first time I saw one of _them_." Ikkaku shivered, the shrill screams of the creature filling his recollection. Kenpachi nodded and laughed, "I know what yer thinkin', but ya gotta remember, they're beautiful…"

"Until they try to eat you." Ikkaku muttered bitterly.

"Exactly." Kenpachi agreed with another laugh.

"So what happened?"

"Nothin', really." Kenpachi said with a shrug. "I untangled it from my line and never saw it again."

"And?" Ikkaku pressed impatiently. "What else?"

"And nothin'. That chapter is over." Kenpachi laughed at Ikkaku's disappointed expression. "I spent a few days camped along the river, waitin' for it to come back, but it didn't. After that I met an old woman, she was fat and ugly as fuck. She said she'd read my palm in exchange for a meal. I fed 'er and humored her a bit. She read my palm and told me I was wastin' my time."

"With what?"

"Waitin' for it to come back." Kenpachi explained. "She said she knew what I was thinkin' and then she tol' me exactly, as if it was right outta my own mouth. She said I needed to be lookin' for somethin' else, but wouldn't tell me what…" Kenpachi eyed Ikkaku before continuing. "She tol' me that my son would take over for me. Her words were 'your son will finish your task'. Well… I've spent nearly the last twenty years thinkin' to myself 'I don't have a fuckin' son'."

Kenpachi and Ikkaku sat in silence for a long stretch of time. Kenpachi leaned forward to place another log on the fire and Ikkaku took the opportunity to speak up. "So you want to find a woman and settle down? That's why you can't go to the river anymore?"

"Yer fuckin' stupid," Kenpachi leaned forward, resting his face in his hands. He sighed and then groaned, looking up at Ikkaku with disbelief.

"If I'm stupid it's your fault, Kenpachi! You're no teacher." Ikkaku snapped, crossing his arms.

"You were stupid when I found ya," Kenpachi insisted with a laugh. "Don't make excuses."

"When we first met you told me that you would help me kill those bastards. It's been sixteen years and we have yet to catch one! Not a single one! And now you're tellin' me that yer gonna quit!?"

"Listen to me real good, Ikkaku," Kenpachi said sternly. "You asked me why I was still here after so long… this is my home. I love my life. It ain't exciting or adventurous but tha's fine by me. The river already gave me what I wanted long ago. I don't need anything else from it."

"Those things are evil." Ikkaku insisted angrily.

"Those things are just like you and me. They kill to eat." Kenpachi shrugged and stood up. "After sixteen years, I think it's time to give up the chase. You don't need to be avenged, yer alive. Those things didn't kill yer grandparents."

"You're okay with wastin' yer life here? You aren't disappointed? What about the witch? Didn't she say the river would be important to you?"

"It is, it was." Kenpachi paused, his back stiffening as he spoke. "That river gave me my son."

* * *

"You shouldn't go down there by yerself." Kenpachi argued, folding his arms across his broad chest. He leaned against a tree lazily, as if the conversation wasn't his idea in the first place. He clicked his tongue in irritation as Ikkaku laced his boots. "Yer too fuckin' stubborn, idiot."

"Then come with me." Ikkaku barked. He eyed the older man inquisitively then cursed as he realized that Kenpachi was not going to give in. "I'll be back."

"Fine." Kenpachi replied with a shrug.

"I'll be back in the morning."

"Great, I need yer help at market in the morning." Kenpachi retorted.

"Yeah and I need your help tonight!"

Kenpachi shrugged and then grinned widely. "Ya know what? You be careful and make sure you don't drink too much or y'u'll end up pukin' yer guts out…"

"I won't." Ikkaku snapped. "I can handle my fuckin' liquor…"

Sometime after midnight, Ikkaku was sitting on the edge of the dock. The fire back at camp was low and dying and the whole earth was nearly pitch black. Ikkaku stared up at the silver blanket of stars and nursed a nearly empty bottle of ale. This was the kind of night that Kenpachi and he would spend talking. They would talk about the kids at camp, they would talk fish, of course, and they would somehow get to Ikkaku's family.

Ikkaku sighed and downed the last mouthful of his bottle. He tossed the bottle onto the shore and laid back on the dock. The wood was hard beneath his smooth head and his muscles ached from physical exhaustion. His bare toes skimmed through the cold water and he closed his eyes. He loved the river. He shook his head in confusion and sat up, eyeing the river suspiciously. _No, I hate this river, _he reminded himself.

Ikkaku shivered and with a groan remembered that he had left his tunic under a tree along with his shoes. Ikkaku climbed to his feet and spun in a neat, methodical circle. He grinned from ear to ear, balancing on the thin outer beam of the dock with ease. Ikkaku may not be the smartest, funniest or handsomest man in the village but Ikkaku never doubted his own physical supremacy, especially when liquor was involved.

He hopped off the thin beam and onto the thin grass strewn sand. He jogged to the tree and pulled his tunic over his head. He pulled another bottle from his basket and took a quick swig. He walked slowly back toward the river, lost in thought. He took the easy route this time, walking down the center of the dock.

Ikkaku felt his stomach lurch as his leg slid out from under him. His eyes opened wide and he looked down too late, his foot had slipped on bit of algae that grew across the wood. He slammed down into the dock with a reverberating thud. His teeth slapped against each other and he let out a great "Hmpff!" as the breath was knocked out of him.

He let out a groan, staring up at the sky as he evaluated his condition. Once he realized that a bump on his head and a bruised tailbone was probably the worst of it, he let out a laugh. He sat up and brushed his thumb across the gash on the inside of his cheek. He peered out into the water and cursed, watching his white porcelain bottle of ale float downstream. "Well fuck."

Ikkaku wiped his hands on his cotton pants and rolled to his feet agilely before shaking his head and looking around in embarrassment. He decided to call it a night, even though it was still early and he turned around, careful to mind the sore ankle. He took a cautious step forward and that is when the board broke. His leg smashed through the wood and with a panicked shout Ikkaku toppled into the river.

The first thing that coursed through Ikkaku's mind was the immense and unbelievable pain. His hand shot downward and he growled in frustration as he realized a section of wood had pierced through his calf and into his upper thigh. And then, as the warm blood oozed into the icy water, he realized where he was.

Ikkaku splashed around in the placid water, his breath coming in and out in short, rattled bursts. He began to mutter to himself, prayers that he could only half remember from his childhood. He was paddling, fighting against the current when he saw it – a bright silver light. "Oh fuck no. Oh hell no…" Ikkaku screamed. He twisted too suddenly, knocking his head roughly against the thick post of the dock. His vision swam and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. A stream of blood trickled into his eye and Ikkaku lost his ability to tread in place. A warm silver light shot through the water and then enveloped him. In that moment the night was truly as bright as day and Ikkaku blocked his eyes with his hand. And then, as he was swept away, everything dissolved into silver and foam.

* * *

Ikkaku's eyes blinked open tiredly, the corners of his eyes crusted thickly with salt. His hands gripped at the sandy earth beneath him and he turned his head from side to side confusedly. His head pounded, his skull feeling as if it might burst. There was a strange sensation burning down his leg and he groaned, sitting up.

Ikkaku yelped loudly, jumping in surprise. The man beside him yelped in response, sitting up and dropping the tool that he held in his hand. When the stranger shouted Ikkaku yelled again, injuring his leg further as he attempted to back up. "Who the hell are you?"

The strange young man eyed Ikkaku suspiciously, as if he might attack at any moment. He lifted a long, thin finger and gestured to Ikkaku's bloodied leg. The man lifted the tossed needle from the sand and Ikkaku realized with a grimace that the man was giving him stitches. "Ah, fuck…" Ikkaku groaned, dropping back down against the sand and staring up at the sun rising into the sky. "Thanks for coming along… where'd ya find me anyway…?"

The young man pushed a strand of windblown black hair behind his ear and shrugged absently, pushing the needle through Ikkaku's flesh without warning. Ikkaku scowled, tapping his unrestricted foot against the ground agitatedly. "Man, I think I fell into the water last night," Ikkaku said suddenly as the night's events came into mind. "Shit… I need to quit drinkin'."

The raven haired young man smiled wordlessly and nodded. He looked up at Ikkaku with large violet eyes before returning his gaze to Ikkaku's wound, a blush creeping across his pale cheeks. "Does it look bad?" Ikkaku questioned, biting down on his own hand as the man continued to stitch him. "I still can't see clearly. I knocked my head pretty good last night…"

The stranger paused, surveying the injuries thoughtfully before waving his hands in gesture as if to say 'This could be bad.' Ikkaku nodded and began to watch the man's hands working with curiosity. The needle was not made of metal, but instead was crafted from a strange blue stone that Ikkaku was unfamiliar with. Ikkaku frowned, studying the thick silver cord being used for the stitches. His eyes blurred and he blinked them rapidly to clear them.

"Say," Ikkaku began unsurely, his eyes wandering from the handsome stranger's face to his bare chest and navel. Ikkaku averted his eyes immediately, but then curiosity got the best of him and he returned his gaze to the other man's body. The other man, of a nearly nondescript age, was sitting in the sand, his legs crossed beneath him, and he was completely naked. "Where're yer clothes?"

The other man looked at him with sharp, violet eyes and then looked down at Ikkaku's clothes, his hands gripping the fabric of Ikkaku's torn pants. The man looked down at himself and tilted his head. He let out a great huff of breath and sat back on his heels, crossing his arms over his slender chest. His handsome face was twisted with disappointment and an unmistakable look of frustration.

"Ah, well, uh, I didn't mean anything by it…" Ikkaku began to ramble. "I'm sure you were swimming and found me and decided to help and now I'm being really fuckin' rude…" The young man nodded enthusiastically and leaned forward, his long black hair draping across his silvery shoulders. "You don't talk much do ya?" The young man shook his head in response and Ikkaku nodded taking in their surroundings. "Do you live around here?"

The young man shrugged and then nodded slowly, noncommittally. "I live about three miles upstream," Ikkaku said with a groan. "I was supposed to be home by now…" Ikkaku examined the stitches on his leg and attempted to stand. He wobbled uneasily and the other man's hands shot up to steady him. "I might not be able to walk just yet."

The other man looked up at Ikkaku crossly and gestured with a lithe arm toward the river. He made the motions as if swimming and Ikkaku shook his head quickly. "Nah, I don't swim." Ikkaku said firmly. "Not in that fuckin' river." Ikkaku looked down at the naked man and cleared his throat awkwardly. "You really shouldn't either…" The longer Ikkaku looked at him, the surer Ikkaku became that his skin was as smooth as stone. He lifted his hand, reaching out to touch the skin before he came back to his senses and dropped his hand to his side.

The young man rolled his eyes, a smile twisting his lips. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it quickly, simply smiling wider. "I've gotta go," Ikkaku said. "But thank you. I mean, how can I thank you? Do you like fish? I'm only asking because we are fishermen and…" Ikkaku paused as the other's man face came into view. The young man was smiling so radiantly that it caused Ikkaku's heart to skip a beat. "Say, tell me yer name. My name's Ikkaku Madarame. If you go to the market in Zaraki anyone there can tell ya how to find me…"

"Yu," the young man began slowly, as if the speech pattern were foreign to him.

"IKKAKU!" someone began to shout his name from the river. "IKKAKU!"

The young man jumped with a start, disturbing the sand on the shore. Ikkaku reached down and touched his shoulder, "It's okay, it's just my Dad." A strange motion caught Ikkaku's attention and he nearly collapsed as the ground beneath the other man began to churn, a broad, silver fanned tail emerging from beneath him. "What the fuck?!"

"IKKAKU!" Kenpachi roared as his little fishing boat rounded the bend of the river. "I can fuckin' see ya, answer me you fuckin' idiot!" Kenpachi narrowed his eyes, squinting to see Ikkaku at the wide distance. "Can ya hear me?" Kenpachi's voice softened somewhat. "Ikkaku?"

Ikkaku stammered, unable to speak as the man- no the creature- wound in a wide circle, spraying sand in every direction as it retreated toward the river. With a great splash the creature hit the surface of the water and Ikkaku was fully drenched. He stood there, unmoving and unthinking, as the creature erupted into a silver light before launching itself downstream.

It would be weeks before Ikkaku would agree to leave their hut. And even then he would only journey so far as the campfire, where he would help the smaller children weave their baskets. Ikkaku couldn't admit that fear was holding him back and instead complained heavily of his wounded leg, drinking far more than he could manage.

"Listen, kid," Kenpachi murmured, groaning internally. "Ya've gotta stop." Kenpachi's green eyes met Ikkaku's and suddenly Kenpachi lost his patience. "Stop being a fuckin' pussy."

"A pussy?" Ikkaku demanded with a shriek. "I'm a pussy?! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know those fuckin' things could go on fuckin' land! Did you? Those things… those things that tried to fuckin' eat **me** _can come on fucking land_!"

"It saved you." Kenpachi pointed out with a sigh.

"They're evil." Ikkaku snapped, turning slowly and hobbling away from the campfire. "And I'm going to empty that fucking river."

"Where're you goin?" Kenpachi demanded.

"To the river."

"You're obsessed." Kenpachi muttered, knowing for certain that Ikkaku couldn't hear him from that distance. "Just be careful."

Ikkaku limped down to the river, cursing as he walked across the dock that Kenpachi and one of the older boys had repaired. He sat at the edge of the dock and lowered the spear he carried into his lap. Ikkaku steeled his resolve and lowered himself into the chilled river, gasping as the water reached his bare chest. He hooked his uninjured leg around the post of the dock and sank down, his nose the only bit of him above the water.

There was a loud splash on the other bank and Ikkaku nearly screamed as a crocodile turtle swam past him. He shivered and then shook his head, he was resolved to kill at least one of those things tonight. There was a glimmer in the center of the river and Ikkaku's eyes narrowed; it could've been the reflection of the moon or something much more sinister.

A soft silver light began to travel underwater and Ikkaku grinned from ear to ear maniacally. He pulled his arm up and out, stretching it taut to drive more power into the strike of his spear. "Closer…" Ikkaku whispered. "Closer…" His body began to tremble with anticipation. "Just a little more…"

The torso of a man emerged slowly from the water, droplets streaming down his hair and onto his prickled, glimmering flesh. He looked at Ikkaku inquisitively, his arm blocking the sudden attack of the spear with such grand finesse that Ikkaku couldn't believe it. He looked up at the spear in his grip and then at Ikkaku, a frown curving his lips downward. The creature released the spear and lowered his arm, his violet eyes studying Ikkaku intently. "Michi-ka."

"Huh?" Ikkaku breathed out, his voice betraying his calm exterior. "What?"

"My name." the creature explained. His voice was pleasant and smooth even though the language seemed unfamiliar to him. He smiled and tilted his head to the side, his black hair falling over his shoulder.

"My name?" Ikkaku repeated, completely stunned.

"No, my name." the creature corrected, hitching his thumb toward himself.

"What's your name?" Ikkaku questioned, lowering the spear unconsciously. "Michika?"

"Yu-michi-ka," He pronounced his name slowly and with great attention and Ikkaku found himself entranced by the movement of his mouth. The creature swam forward, his silver scaled tail waving back and forth rapidly. He stopped directly in front of Ikkaku, the warmth from his glowing belly and tail spreading to Ikkaku.

"You can talk." Ikkaku blurted out in surprised realization. "You things can talk?"

"Things?" Yumichika questioned, his eyelids blinking vertically.

"You… mermaids or whatever." Ikkaku clarified, sweeping his hand in gesture.

"I am not a maiden." Yumichika said, his voice ringing through the air loudly. His tail appeared to spark with electricity and Ikkaku nearly lost his grip on the dock. "And yes, I can speak. Thank you." He lifted his arm from the water and with a sigh pushed his hair out of his face.

"Thank you?" Ikkaku repeated interestedly. "For what?"

"Do they not have sarcasm on the land?" Yumichika asked dryly. "How then do you communicate?"

"But…" Ikkaku said with an irritated grunt. "Then why weren't you speaking back there? When you stitched my leg? And why on Earth did ya fuckin' do that anyway?! I mean how dare you!"

Yumichika looked at Ikkaku intently before turning to the side objectively, "Which question should I answer first? In the order they were asked or…?"

"I don't like your kind." Ikkaku spat suddenly as he bobbed out of the water and pulled himself onto the dock. He folded his legs under him and stared down at the creature with distrust. "This river should belong to men."

"Don't make me laugh," Yumichika said with a dry, humorless, and haughty chuckle. "I have seen you and the others… running up and down the river in boats or on flimsy wooden bridges. You are crippled on the water. Why should you get to keep it? It was ours first."

"Why did you save me?" Ikkaku demanded, the veins at his throat and temples throbbing with anger.

"Why did you lower your spear?" Yumichika returned with a smile.

"I… that's different…" Ikkaku began to explain uncomfortably. "I just realized you're too strong to fight alone."

"Ah, I see." Yumichika replied with a simple nod. "You were afraid and I was curious." Yumichika tilted his head to the side, pulling his upper body level with the dock. "We are both a slave to our race it seems." Yumichika placed a warm hand on Ikkaku's scarred chest. "Men are weak-willed and we…" Yumichika's sweet-smelling breath fanned across Ikkaku's skin. "Are slaves to beauty…"

"I see why you were quiet earlier, you've a terrible personality." Ikkaku muttered, staring into Yumichika's eyes.

"Humans have indulged in our songs for millennia," Yumichika said suddenly. "But never have I spoken with one before."

"You don't play with yer food then?" Ikkaku taunted, his dark eyes burning into Yumichika's.

"Ha!" Yumichika laughed good-naturedly. "I like you."

"What?"

"I said," Yumichika repeated and this time his face was inches from Ikkaku's. The warmth rolling off of the creature's body was enough to make a strange heat pool in Ikkaku's belly. "I…like…you…" And then Yumichika's lips were against Ikkaku's. Even with his eyes closed, the light that erupted between their two bodies was blinding. "Goodnight, Ikkaku Madarame." Yumichika lowered himself into the river and smiled coyly, swimming backward so leisurely that the current seemed to have no effect on him. He gave a small wave and bobbed in place, his body slowly sinking into the water.

Ikkaku's hand pressed to his lips slowly. He sat there in stunned silence until Yumichika was already gone. Ikkaku shook his head and clenched his fist. "Hey! Hey, you! Get your ass out here! What gave you the idea that you could do weird things?!"

* * *

"You sure are carefree." Ikkaku chastised as he sat down beside the river. He opened up his pack and pulled out a sandwich, tearing it into pieces before shoving it into his mouth.

"Hmm." Yumichika muttered, lifting the arm that covered his face to get a good look at Ikkaku. "Oh, hey, you…" Yumichika said in greeting. "You must be terribly jealous, I'm sure that basket weaving has exhausted you." Yumichika rolled onto his stomach in the sand and propped himself up on his elbows. "You are early today."

"I just happened to see you sunning yourself on _my_ bank." Ikkaku insisted. "I thought I might come and challenge you."

"Challenge me?" Yumichika questioned, his violet eyes softening with curiosity. "To what end?" He decided to ignore the first part of Ikkaku's comment.

"I never said I wasn't going to kill you." Ikkaku admitted.

"You are intolerably strange." Yumichika complained, his tail swishing back and forth through the river absently.

"You think I won't?" Ikkaku growled.

"No, I do not." Yumichika answered with a frown. "Why would you? Have I harmed you?"

"Your kind…" Ikkaku muttered. "Nearly killed me once."

"I got hit on the head with an oar once or twice, does that count as attempted murder?" Yumichika prosed.

"I hope it was me." Ikkaku grumbled.

"Oh, you are so rude!" Yumichika admonished, using his tail to launch a scoop of ice cold water at Ikkaku's face. "Your manners are attempted murder."

"Yumichika." Ikkaku said suddenly serious. "Why me? I never got it. I mean… was it simply bad luck?"

"I can't answer that." Yumichika said softly. "I don't know."

"I've gotta get back to work." Ikkaku replied, swallowing the last mouthful of his sandwich with effort. "Those fish aren't gonna just catch 'emselves." Ikkaku stood silently for a moment before speaking again. "Ya know, I don't think I've ever seen one of yer kind out during the day before."

"It's because you choose not to see us." Yumichika answered cryptically. "We are always there." Yumichika combed his fingers through his hair absently. "I used to wonder if we actually existed in the same space."

"But you don't wonder anymore?"

"No," Yumichika answered with a wide, happy grin. "Because now I can talk to you!"

Ikkaku ambled back toward the hut, his mind wandering. It wasn't until he felt the tap on his shoulder that he realized someone was in front of him, speaking to him. He took a startled step back and peered down at the ugly, old woman expectantly. "Can I help you?"

"Perhaps…" the old woman said. Ikkaku eyed her silently, and acknowledged she was disgusting to behold. She had dark circles around her drooping, mismatched eyes. Her papery thin skin was creased and dry. Her hair, once a brilliant red, was a ruddy grey and in several hairless patches there was only flaking scalp showing. "I am very hungry…" The old woman rested her hand on her portly belly. "I beg of you, give me something to eat…"

"Sure," Ikkaku answered without hesitation. "Hope you like fish." He gestured toward camp and smiled politely. "I live there, follow me and I'll get ya something to eat."

"Such a sweet boy." The woman murmured, following several paces behind Ikkaku. "Perhaps I could repay you in some way…" the woman suggested.

"No need," Ikkaku called over his shoulder. Ikkaku peered around the empty camp and frowned, "Kenpachi…? Girls? Where'd ya go?" Ikkaku ducked into the hut and scratched his chin. "Hello? Guys? Kenpachi?" Ikkaku frowned, turning back to face the woman. "I'm not sure where everyone went, but I can cook alright…"

Ikkaku sat down on the log, and gestured to the old woman who sat down with a great plop beside him. Ikkaku stacked the unfinished baskets and set them aside. He assembled his tools and gutted a medium sized shaboot. He speared it above the spit and seasoned it. He was quick, it was second nature to him now.

"Where're ya from?" Ikkaku asked, attempting to make small talk.

"I'm from a colony just inside the bend where the Euphrates meets the Tigris." The woman answered. "I am travelling to visit family."

"Well good travels," Ikkaku replied with a friendly nod.

"Thank you." The woman said simply. They sat in silence as the fish cooked. The delicious scent of cooked shaboot filled the air and Ikkaku cleared his throat. He removed the fish from the spit, placing the fish in a wooden bowl. He handed it to the woman and she dipped her head appreciatively. "Thank you."

"It was delicious," the woman complimented, her eyes gleaming with moisture. "And now, could I return a favor perhaps?" the old woman's soft, wrinkled hand caressed Ikkaku's. "Do you wish to know your future?"


	2. Part II

"Do you wish to know your future?" The wizened woman asked, eyeing Ikkaku with interest. She extended her discolored hand, reaching for his slowly. She smiled, nodding, encouraging him to take her hand. But then she frowned heavily, her eyes darkening as Ikkaku withdrew.

"Ah…" Ikkaku began, shaking his head in refusal. "I don't think so…"

"You would refuse such a quality repayment?" the woman snapped and then, as if remembering her manners, she smiled apologetically. "Wouldn't you like to know if you're destined for glory… if you will be rich? If you will find love?"

"Nah," Ikkaku assured her. "I really don't need ta know… I mean, I'll find out 'ventually…" Ikkaku looked down at his hand skeptically. "I don't really believe in that fate stuff anyway…"

"Strange, simple boy." The woman muttered. "To refuse a gift…"

"The fish was a gift." Ikkaku replied, narrowing his eyes. "There is no need for you to repay me." Ikkaku stood, pressing his hand absently against the healing sore on his thigh. "I wish you luck in your travels."

"Sit." The old woman barked, her volatile, mismatched eyes flashing. "Sit back down."

Ikkaku paused, hesitant… An abrupt, cool breeze whipped between the two of them, sand and river spray collecting on Ikkaku's skin. His fingertips itched, snaking down his abdomen to the knife on his belt. "Is there something else?"

Suddenly the atmosphere changed and the old woman sat back with a light, airy cackle. She waved her hand in dismissal and shook her head. "No, no, no… There's no need for you to humor an old woman…" The sun peeked out from behind the clouds; a beam of light illuminated the woman's withered, hideous face. "Thank you for the fish."

"What the fuck?" Ikkaku muttered under his breath as he hurried to distance himself from the strange woman. He turned, casting a look over his shoulder, and then froze in his tracks. He spun on his heels, his narrow eyes searching the camp rapidly. She was gone. "Lady?" Ikkaku's hand found the dagger at his waist and he gripped it tightly. "Lady?"

"What're ya doin'?" Kenpachi growled, his large hand wrapping around Ikkaku's wrist. He twisted until Ikkaku dropped the knife, his face dark and unreadable.

"Ouch! Oww! Fuck!" Ikkaku yelled, cursing and holding his wrist against his chest. "Why'd ya do that?"

Kenpachi inhaled deeply, his beady eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Who's here with you?" He stepped closer to Ikkaku his broad chest bumping against Ikkaku's intimidatingly. "Who did you bring here? What did she want?"

"It was just some old woman…" Ikkaku began to explain, pausing as his skin prickled in warning. "How did you know it was a 'she' anyway?"

"Ladies are usually she's… dumbass…" Kenpachi growled dismissively. He shrugged but Ikkaku could still sense the unnerving tension from before. Kenpachi looked around the camp with a snort. "Don't bring girls back here. You'll give the young'ins ideas…"

"It was a fuckin' nasty old woman…" Ikkaku groaned. "I wasn't doin' nothin'. She was hungry. I gave 'er some fish, is all…"

"Don't just help any person who comes along…" Kenpachi reprimanded.

"What?!" Ikkaku blurted in disbelief. "_You_ are telling _me_ that? You? Look around, old man…"

"Children are harmless." Kenpachi replied. He looked at Ikkaku in such a way that Ikkaku felt the fight seep right out of him. "You can trust children. They take everythin' 'n' give very lil' in return..." Kenpachi's eyes darted around the camp. "That woman from before…" Kenpachi bent over and retrieved Ikkaku's knife from the ground. He brushed it against his clothes and handed it to Ikkaku without another word.

"Where are you going?" Ikkaku called after Kenpachi as the elder man strode out of camp. "Where are the kids?"

"The kids're comin'." Kenpachi yelled over his shoulder. "I'm goin' down to the river fer a bit."

"Kenpachi…" Ikkaku said softly. "Kenpachi?"

"What?" Kenpachi hollered, turning around with a snarl. "What the fuck do you want?"

"That woman from before…" Ikkaku pressed. "Was there somethin' you wanted ta tell me?"

Kenpachi tossed his hair out of his eyes and continued walking toward the river. He turned, ever so slightly, and Ikkaku watched his lips slowly forming the words. The silent words curved around Kenpachi's mouth, dripping into the air and unfurling like smoke. But the sound never reached Ikkaku's ears.

"I can't hear you." Ikkaku stepped forward as he considered whether he should chase after Kenpachi or not. Kenpachi didn't acknowledge Ikkaku as he continued walking down to the river.

* * *

"I have a question." Ikkaku demanded, hopping down onto the sand bar and tying his boat to a nearby tree.

"Hmmm…" Yumichika opened his eyes and then sighed dramatically, flipping his fan-like tail from side to side in mock annoyance.

"There's a whole shit load of yer kind right?"

"Well, I would never use the term 'shit load', but yes…" Yumichika replied haughtily.

"And humans can't see you fer some reason…" Ikkaku continued.

"Most humans consciously shut our existence out. They cannot see us or hear us unless we sing…" Yumichika splashed himself with water and settled comfortably back into the warm sand. "I had never spoken to a human before you."

"So what are you here for then?" Ikkaku asked, beaming from ear to ear. "You have no purpose!"

"Do you lie awake at night, thinking these sorts of thoughts? Do you try to validate your own existence with your impeded rationale?" Yumichika pushed himself up on his elbows and smiled tightly. His wet, black hair fell into his face and he licked at his lips devilishly. "In your perfect world, must we all serve mankind's needs?" Yumichika laughed and rolled onto his side. "I think, therefore I am."

"I had a point with this." Ikkaku grumbled, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Give me another minute."

"I could give you another one hundred years and you still wouldn't have a convincing argument." Yumichika teased, rolling his eyes. "Is it so hard to accept us? We are here. In fact, we were here first." Yumichika eyed Ikkaku. "You descend from hairy, smelly apes, we descend from leviathan… And considering the Earth is mostly water…"

"I'm not an ape…" Ikkaku snapped. "My parents weren't apes either!"

"Ikkaku, sit down." Yumichika asked, turning his face toward the man with a pleading expression. "You have been working so much lately…"

"Kenpachi has been riding my ass." Ikkaku muttered. "I escaped while he was napping. I swear to God, he's watchin' me."

"He's not watching _you_." Yumichika answered quietly.

"Yeah?" Ikkaku complained. "It sure feels like it. He's given me three times as much work to do."

"Do you believe in magic?" Yumichika asked simply.

"It depends." Ikkaku replied thoughtfully. "Are you magic? I believe in that kind of magic. But rabbits out of hats? Birds in and out of cages? No."

"He's cursed." Yumichika whispered and suddenly Ikkaku found himself sitting on the ground beside the creature. Ikkaku stared into his violet eyes dumbly. Yumichika brushed his hand against Ikkaku's left ear and pressed his lips against his right. His hot breath fanned against Ikkaku's ear and neck and the larger man shivered. "By the sea witch."

"Sea witch?" Ikkaku repeated under his breath.

"Yes." Yumichika answered in whisper.

"I don't understand. How is he cursed?" Ikkaku blurted out loud.

"Our kind and humans…" Yumichika pressed a long, thin finger against Ikkaku's lips. "Are not meant to interact." A soft silvery light began to glow between them.

"He was cursed for that? For pulling one out of the water?" Ikkaku shook his head in denial. "How is he cursed? He says he's happy…"

Yumichika tilted his head to the side in confusion, his eyes narrowing into slits. "You really don't know…?"

"IKKAKU!" Kenpachi bellowed. He appeared over the hill and began to storm down toward the riverbank. "We have work ta do, and yer fuckin' picnicking?"

"I have no clue what you're talkin' about," Ikkaku spoke quickly, under his breath. "We need to talk tonight. I mean it, tonight! Meet me at the dock…"

"Of course…" Yumichika answered with a nod. "I will be there."

"Ikkaku," Kenpachi barked. He stood on the bank of the river, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Who was ya talkin' to?"

Ikkaku's hands fumbled with the knot of rope. His fingers felt numb. He swallowed a lump in his throat and looked from Yumichika to Kenpachi in disbelief. Could he not see Yumichika resting against the sand bar? He hopped into the boat and pushed off with his oar. "I was just talkin' to myself."

"What're ya starin' at?" Kenpachi barked. It was dinner time, and as they all sat around the warm campfire, Ikkaku found he was unable to look away from Kenpachi. He was a handsome man, albeit unconventionally. He had thick, maintained hair and tanned, smooth skin. There were scars, but scars were manly.

Ikkaku couldn't figure out how Kenpachi had been cursed. He certainly hadn't been disfigured or crippled in any way. "Ah, sorry, I was jus' thinkin'."

"Yer bein' creepy." Kenpachi accused with a laugh. "I can't lick my bowl if yer watchin' me."

"Ah, yeah, go ahead. I really couldn't care less." Ikkaku laughed, waving his hand dismissively. Ikkaku watched Kenpachi out of the corner of his eye. "Ya know… you don't talk about yourself much."

"Eh?" Kenpachi grunted, wiping his chin with his sleeve.

"I just realized… I really don't know a lot about ya. Yer so secretive…" Ikkaku admitted.

"Men don't talk about themselves." Kenpachi said dismissively. "It's not in our character."

"Rumor in the market," Ikkaku began. "Is that you're an infamous Babylonian assassin." Kenpachi laughed and shook his head. "People think you did some bad things and decided to hide out here…"

"Well, I _am_ Babylonian." Kenpachi interjected, his eyes wide with humor.

"All of those scars," Ikkaku continued. "They have to be from something… I mean, I know what those scars on your hands are from. Slippery blades end up cutting the wielder…"

"I'm just a fisherman, Ikkaku." Kenpachi said with a shrug. "I was never an assassin for the empire. I didn't raze my entire village to the ground and escape to the river…" Kenpachi gave Ikkaku a sidelong glance. "Yer too old to ask so many damn weird questions."

"You're too old to avoid my questions. Shit." Ikkaku stood up and kicked out at the log Kenpachi sat on. "I'm goin' down to the river. Don't wait up."

"You shouldn't go down there so much." Kenpachi replied. "At least, not by yerself or at night…"

"I'm too old for you to fuss over me." Ikkaku spat.

"It's uncool too." Kenpachi muttered, tossing the empty bowl into the air and catching it. Ikkaku nodded, smiling sheepishly, before continuing down to the river. Ikkaku stripped quickly, folding his clothes into a neat pile beside a tree.

He walked down the dock slowly, his toes digging into the new wood. He sat limberly, his legs folding beneath him neatly. He combed his fingers through the river water and sighed. "Fish boy…" Ikkaku spoke softly, his cheeks feeling unusually tight. "Are you there?" There was a beam of light, like golden lightning through the water. Ikkaku lifted his hand unsurely, narrowing his eyes to peer into the placid river. "Is that you?"

There was a second flash of light, golden and strong. Ikkaku could just barely make out the shape of a person-like creature in the water. There was no recognition of the shape, the outline of the aqueous body and tendril-like hair was merely a black scar coursing through the light. "Yumichika…?"

The river's flow ebbed, the waterline rising rapidly. Ikkaku crouched at the end of the dock, his fingers clasping the edge tightly. He searched the water, panic twisting his stomach every which way. Ikkaku could only think one thought coherently, _Yumichika had the most beautiful silver light… not gold_.

Ikkaku cursed as icy water splashed up onto the dock. He fell flat on his chest and gripped onto the slippery wood tightly. Another enormous wave washed over him and he choked, swallowing mouthfuls. A fish flopped on the deck beside him before the water became awash with the surface and it maneuvered back into deeper water. Ikkaku looked up, cutting his eyes at the creature that emerged from the river.

The creature sparked, golden bolts of electricity shooting out from its body. The creature's hair wriggled, like a head of living snakes. She opened her mouth and a beautiful song poured melodiously into the air. She moved her arms slowly, gracefully, sending water droplets streaming down her bare skin.

Her song swelled into a crescendo and Ikkaku felt the hair on his arms prickle. He released the dock and sat back on his knees, eyeing the creature with apprehension. She smiled in-between breaths and curled her fingers, beckoning him closer, beckoning him into the water. Ikkaku shook his head and scanned the river quickly, "Who are you? Where is Yumichika?"

The creature stopped abruptly, her vertical eyelids blinking. She tilted her head and peered at him with growing aggression. She continued her song, crooking her finger in gesture. _Come_, her song pleaded. _Come and lie with me_. Her voice grew more demanding and Ikkaku climbed to his feet in defiance.

"You can't ensnare me with just a pretty song," Ikkaku retorted, his hands on his hips proudly. "'Specially since I can't hear outta my left ear." The creature shrieked, her full mouth spreading to expose several rows of thin, pointed teeth. "Shit, yer one ugly bitch."

The river rose up, churning and spewing and Ikkaku cursed as he began to back up. The tidal wave reached the dock before Ikkaku could reach the shore. The water struck him with such force he was thrown into the bank several yards downstream. He gripped at the reeds along the bank, but as the water pummeled into him, they tore in his hands.

The blackness around him was erased by several bursts of colored light. Ikkaku slipped underwater, a glowing gold hand wrapping around his calf. Ikkaku balled his fist and swung, striking the creature's face. He pushed his foot squarely against its chest and bobbed to the surface. He took several gulps of air and began to swim with desperation toward land.

Ikkaku had spent the majority of his life too afraid of the water to swim. He wasn't a strong swimmer. And right then, he was scared. He was wounded. He was in shock. Ikkaku took another gulping breath before he was yanked back underwater. He twisted and kicked, struggling to free himself from the creature's grasp.

The creature's jaw unhinged and her teeth sank into the flesh of his shoulder. Ikkaku screamed in agony, his throat filling with water and blood. Her golden body pulsated, her tail shaking like a rattle. She shook her head from side to side, tossing Ikkaku like a rag doll.

A tiny silver light flashed once, then twice. It travelled through the water like a tiny speck and then shot forward like a meteor. The night lit up, a bright silver sun blinding Ikkaku for several excruciating moments. The creature released Ikkaku and spun, hissing and screeching madly as the silver light collided with her.

Ikkaku paddled weakly, coughing and spewing as he reached the shore. He rolled onto his side, his shaking hands pressed to his serious wound. He was already convulsing when his vision finally returned.

The creature was slammed into the river bank, Yumichika's tail held against her throat like a blade. His handsome face was twisted in rage, his sparkling white teeth exposed threateningly. He began to shout, an eerie, inhuman noise escaping his lips. Spittle flew out of his mouth as he punched the earth beside the female's head. Blood dripped down her neck onto his tail.

The creature writhed and moaned fearfully. She shook her head from side to side, lowering her eyes pleadingly. Yumichika's arms flexed, the veins in his neck stretching and pulsing as he screamed in the female creature's face. The river began to glow brighter, lights in every shade and color illuminating the night.

"Yu-" Ikkaku whispered, his breath unable to support speech. He reached out his hand, his blue tinged, bloodied fingers stretching outward. "Michi-" One of Ikkaku's eyes drooped closed and Ikkaku shuddered uncontrollably. "Ka." Yumichika was enveloped by a wave of colors as Ikkaku slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kenpachi had just laid down for bed when he heard it, the faint, eerie singing. He sat up, a snarl curling his lips. He rolled out of his sleeping sack and maneuvered around the sleeping children silently. He stepped out of the hut and scanned the camp, hurrying over to the large trunk he kept beside his fishing gear.

He unlocked the trunk, lifting the heavy lid with a creak. Dust shot into the air, but Kenpachi ignored it, narrowing his eyes and wrapping his hand around what Ikkaku had always thought to be a hook ended harpoon. Kenpachi closed his eyes, the weapon held tightly against his chest. The bewitching music drifted through the air, inviting him closer. He shook his head wildly and stood. He looked around at the sleeping children and muttered under his breath before stalking down the hill toward the river.

The intoxicating music stopped abruptly and Kenpachi's pace quickened. He jogged, his eyes widening as the unnatural flow of the river came into view. "IKKAKU! IKKAKU!" Kenpachi bellowed, his voice tearing from his throat painfully. Kenpachi spotted him on the shore several yards downstream. "Ikkaku! Hold on!"

Ikkaku didn't respond and as Kenpachi approached he feared the worst. Ikkaku was a sickly grey color, his neck and face smeared with blood. His shoulder was critically injured, the tendons exposed along his clavicle. "Ikkaku…" Kenpachi's step faltered and he lowered his hands to his side.

Kenpachi's eyes began to burn and he cleared the frog in his throat. He took another painful step forward and paused, he couldn't understand how he was so out of breath. He gasped for air, his lungs feeling as if they might burst. Kenpachi looked into Ikkaku's face and stared at Ikkaku's half open eye. One eye open and one half closed. Kenpachi shook his head and kneeled beside Ikkaku's prone form. "Ikkaku?"

Ikkaku's leg twitched and Kenpachi stood, holding the weapon out at an arm's length. "I know yer there… I jus' can't see ya." Kenpachi growled, twisting his hands over the metal bar.

"Can you hear me?" Yumichika asked, pressing his hands against Ikkaku's wound. "If you can, I need your help." Yumichika looked up at the large man in desperation. "I can save him."

_"I_ can save him." Kenpachi barked, dropping to his knees. He yanked a few strands of hair out of his head and bit down on his lip. "I need something for a needle."

"Then help me." Yumichika insisted, pressing his thumb and forefinger against one of his teeth. He pushed until there was a loud **POP!** and then blood oozed down his jaw. He took the hair from Kenpachi's hand, testing the strength, and then strung the hair through the needle-like tooth. "I'm not your enemy."

"He was lookin' for you tonight, wasn't he?" Kenpachi asked, watching the hair and needle stitch Ikkaku up, moving as if held by an invisible hand.

"We were supposed to meet, yes." Yumichika answered, his attention on Ikkaku's tattered skin.

"Why?" Kenpachi demanded, his voice growing agitated.

"Our kind is honest. After all, we have no reason to lie." Yumichika replied pointedly, using his teeth to cut the hair. "He was searching for the truth."

"What truth?" Kenpachi snapped. "What could ya possibly give him?"

"He wanted to know who you were," Yumichika said. He held both of his hands against Ikkaku's shoulder, a soft silvery light emanating between them. "And I, unlike you, happen to remember who you are."

"Why? Why'dya bother? You put 'im in fuckin' danger," Kenpachi barked. "And what's more… Ya think she'll let this go?! You think yewl get away with this?"

"I hadn't broken any rules…" Yumichika blurt out in a panic. "Until tonight! And if you had kept a better watch of him, this never would have happened!"

"Get outta here, Yumichika." Kenpachi said firmly, his green eyes burning into Yumichika's so strongly that the other thought he must finally be able to see him. "Yer in danger."

"I will not leave him," Yumichika whispered. "You don't have enough power to save him when he's so, he's so…"

"Yumi-chika…" Ikkaku moaned, even before he had taken his first gasp of air. Yumichika's violet eyes widened and he looked down at the injured human in shock. Yumichika pushed himself back onto his tail and studied the human with interest. Why had his name been the first thing on Ikkaku's lips?

"I need to go." Yumichika agreed with a sudden nod. He looked at Kenpachi and then back toward the still unconscious Ikkaku. He pressed his hand to his lips slowly, unsurely, before touching his fingertips to Ikkaku's soft, full lips. Ikkaku's warm breath tickled his wet skin and Yumichika smiled sadly. "Goodbye, human. I liked you."

* * *

Ikkaku let out a groan, his eyes opening reluctantly. He felt like absolute shit. He coughed, his throat scratchy and dry. It took several prolonged seconds of staring to realize he had no idea where he was. Ikkaku sat up, looking around the small, simple room in confusion. He was lying in a wood framed bed, propped up on multiple pillows. The room had one skinny window, and a desk with one chair. Besides that the room was empty.

Ikkaku swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself to his feet with a pained groan. He scratched at the flaking, scabbing skin of his shoulder and walked toward the door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, it twisted in his hand and the door was flung open. "Ah, yer awake."

Kenpachi pushed into the room, disregarding Ikkaku's personal space as he ushered the younger man back into bed. "Hey, uh, wait, umm…" Ikkaku stammered. "Where are we?"

"The inn." Kenpachi answered simply, plopping into the chair with a thud. He pulled an orange from his pocket and began to peel it with his knife. "We're movin'." Kenpachi popped a slice of orange into his mouth and continued speaking. "I'm tired of this place…" He stuffed two more slices into his mouth and grinned. "We could use a change of scenery."

"Huh?" Ikkaku's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Me and you, we're gettin' outta here." Kenpachi explained, waving the knife in his hand dismissively. "Let's go see the world!" Kenpachi offered an orange slice to Ikkaku with a grin. "Ya've always wanted ta see the Hanging Gardens, haven't ya?"

"How did I get here?" Ikkaku asked suddenly, shaking his head in confusion. "I can't remember… I was in the water… I was attacked," Ikkaku touched the healing wound on his shoulder, his eyes narrowed in thought. "He saved me."

"Who?" Kenpachi asked suspiciously. "I found yer dumb ass on the bank of the river, half dead…"

"There was a man, Yumichika," Ikkaku spoke quickly. "Well, he isn't a man… he… he's one of _them._ He saved me." Ikkaku pushed himself up from the bed once more. "I need to go."

"Huh?" Kenpachi looked at Ikkaku as if the younger man were insane. "What?"

"I need to go." Ikkaku repeated simply. "I have to go make sure he's okay. I think those other things were going to attack him…"

"Yer gonna go check on one of those things?" Kenpachi asked, dumbfounded. "Ta make shurr it's okay?"

"Exactly." Ikkaku admitted with a solemn nod. "I was almost fuckin' killed by one of those creatures. He saved me."

"Just leave it alone, Ikkaku."

"No! I won't!" Ikkaku shouted, his hands pressing at his smooth temples in frustration. "I can't just leave it!"

"You'll jus' make it worse, kid!" Kenpachi roared, towering over Ikkaku intimidatingly. "There are rules for his kind and yer kind showin' up again will jus' fuck it up more!"

"You don't know that! You don't know anything, Kenpachi…" Ikkaku shook his head, pushing his palm against Kenpachi's unyielding chest.

"There's nothin' ya can do fer 'im." Kenpachi insisted. "If he's smart, he's already long gone…"

"What do you mean?" Ikkaku asked slowly, eyeing Kenpachi suspiciously. "What do you know? What aren't you tellin' me?"

"I…" Kenpachi's breath snaked out like a guttural bark.

"You saw him, didn't ya." It was not a question.

"Nah, not exactly," Kenpachi admitted, scratching his head with a defeated sigh. "I can't see _them_ anymore."

"Anymore?" Ikkaku questioned.

"Look, I've got some things I might need ta explain…" Kenpachi mumbled, pushing his knife back into his belt. "So sit back down 'n' let me start at the beginin'."

Ikkaku sat on the edge of the bed expectantly. Kenpachi sighed and scooted his chair closer to the bed. "Nineteen years ago, I saved a boy from drowning." Kenpachi paused, his eyes downcast. "It was the firs' time I'd ever been seen by one of yer kind…"

"My kind?"

"Shut up." Kenpachi muttered. "I saved this boy, he was lil' younger than ya are now. He could see me… 'n' fer the first time, I really jus' felt… real…" Kenpachi stood and began to pace the small room. "I stayed along the bank, in the shallow bits of the river, waitin' fer 'im to come back." Kenpachi walked to the window and rested his head against the wall. "I spent two weeks watchin' 'im. And then, jus' like that he was gone."

"Have ya ever wondered why kids like me?" Kenpachi asked suddenly, his green eyes focusing on Ikkaku sharply. "I'm impatient, lazy, rude… but kids jus' flock to me…" Kenpachi smiled at the thought. "It's my kind. We attract children… to eat them." Kenpachi laughed bitterly. "Sure, we eat adults too, but children are soft and tender… and easily persuaded to obey…"

"I don't believe you." Ikkaku whispered. "You would never… you can't be one of them…"

"I did and I was." Kenpachi said flatly. "But nineteen years 'go, I was banished. I broke the laws of my kind," Kenpachi cleared his throat. "I was supposed to die, but…"

"You're a fuckin' liar!"

"No, nah, ya see, I never really lied…" Kenpachi reasoned guiltily.

"You must've thought I was such a fuckin' moron! I've been chasing those things for sixteen years and you! You! You've been laughing at me all along!"

"Fuck no. I never did that!" Kenpachi yelled. "Look, I hate talkin' about myself… This doesn't change anything, anyway. All I need ya ta know is that you gotta stay away from that damn river. That fuckin' witch! She's back…"

"What witch?" Ikkaku asked.

"The sea witch." Kenpachi answered.

"Now there's a sea witch…?"

"Fuckin' God damn it, Ikkaku! There's always been a sea witch! Tha's who fuckin' cursed me! She read my palm and saw somethin'… somethin' that made her want to destroy me…"

"Then why do you live on the water? Why not go inland and hide?"

"That's where we're goin'."

"Not now… before!"

"Because she wasn't interested in me and she wasn't interested in you! And then that changed…" Kenpachi groaned in exasperation. "You've attracted her attention…"

"Yumichika." Ikkaku said, his eyes widening. "He's in danger isn't he? He's in trouble for saving me." Without another word, Ikkaku flung himself across the room, twisting the doorknob and hurrying out of the room.

Ikkaku jogged down the stairs of the inn, pushing his way through the crowded bar to the abandoned street. He ran full out, ignoring the hitch in his side, until he reached the hut. It was a mess, the valuables had all been removed sloppily, as if the person had been in a great rush. Ikkaku wrenched the skewer from the roasting spit and ran toward the dock. "Yumichika! Yumichika!" Ikkaku called out as his fingers fumbled with the tether on the boat.

"He's already gone," the old woman spoke as she appeared beside the boat suddenly, her mismatched eyes settling onto Ikkaku.

"Gone? Gone where?" Ikkaku demanded, his fingers tightening around the spit skewer distrustfully.

"They took him away," the old woman continued, pressing her sandaled foot onto the bench of the small boat. She looked out over the river and frowned, her whiskered chin dimpling. "To the Ryugu-jo." She clicked her tongue with disappointment.

"Ryugu-jo." Ikkaku repeated the foreign name carefully. "Where?"

"To a place you cannot follow," the old woman sighed sadly. However sweet and sorrowful her words, her eyes glimmered devilishly. "The underwater palace of the great sea dragon." She stepped into the boat with surprising nimbleness for her age and size. She gripped Ikkaku's hand in hers and beamed from ear to ear. "Shall I take a look now?"

"How do I get there?" Ikkaku demanded, shaking free of the old woman's grip and lifting the oars. "Where is this palace? Somewhere along the Tigris? The Euphrates? The Arabian Sea?"

"I'm afraid that mankind cannot reach the palace." The old woman admitted regretfully. "But there is hope yet…"

"I'm listening."

"Drink this." The old woman waved her wrinkled hand, offering a purple vial to Ikkaku. "With this you will be able to reach him." She smiled toothily, "If you hurry, there might still be time…"

"And what is the cost?" Ikkaku asked, his hand slowly reaching toward the vial. "Of such a gift."

"I'd much rather make a wager, boy. I'll make you a _very_ sweet deal," the old woman purred. "You may take the vial… and I will take your sight." The old woman smiled, her mismatched eyes gleaming. "If you return with Yumichika, within three hours' time, I will forfeit and your sight will be returned to you. You will make it out, free of charge…" The old woman wiggled the vial. "If you do not return with Yumichika within the three hours' allotted time…"

"How am I supposed to find him if I can't see?" Ikkaku interrupted.

"This potion is all you need." The woman said with a shrug. "The question you should ask yourself is, is he worth such a price?"

"He saved my life, more than once," Ikkaku replied. "I owe him."

"It's possible, you know, that you are under his spell…" the woman suggested, taking a slight step backward. "And he is luring you into a trap… tricking you… his kind is like that…"

"Yumichika's not like that." Ikkaku said firmly. The old woman's face twisted momentarily in disgust and she let out a dry laugh. Ikkaku leaned forward and took the vial in his hand, popping the cork. "Where am I going?"

"You wish to go to the Ryugu-jo?"

"Yes."

"I can show you the way."

"If I take this… I have three hours. I can go, find him, bring him back... here? Where? Where do I return to?" Ikkaku pressed impatiently.

"A very wise question," the old woman admitted with a smirk. "Right here." The old woman gestured with her arms.

"If I don't make it back…" Ikkaku continued uneasily. "What is the cost of the vial?"

"One vial is equal to one soul." The old woman answered.

"A soul?" Ikkaku straightened up, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, a soul." The woman repeated, grinning from ear to ear. She waved her hands and the water exploded with multicolored lights. "I collect them, you see."

"Is this task impossible?" Ikkaku asked.

"Very nearly." She answered with a tight smile.

"I accept the terms," Ikkaku pressed the vial to his lips. "But if this is some sort of trick…" Ikkaku gulped the purple fluid down, making an unpleasant face at the end. "I'll kill you."

Ikkaku hiccupped forcefully, the muscles in his neck straining from the sudden movement. Before he could even react, his vision was gone. He threw out his arms for balance. His body began to spasm and he grunted, scooting his feet further apart. The boat rocked gently as the old woman stepped back onto land. Ikkaku yelped in surprise as the boat capsized without warning and he was tossed in the icy water. He threw his arms back and forth, treading water in place, trying to remain calm.

* * *

"You fuckin' idiot! Where the fuck are ya?" Kenpachi roared, kicking the hut with such force his foot tore through the wall. He hopped on one leg, wrenching his leg out with a stream of expletives. "I'll fuckin' kill ya myself!"

Their small fishing boat was gone and Kenpachi bit down on his lip, drawing blood. He dropped into a squat, dragging his fingers through the sand absently, his eyes closed in concentration. He listened carefully, his ears pricking to attention. He stood and ran upstream toward the source of the sound.

He realized at once that the commotion was not Ikkaku. He almost turned around and returned to camp but he paused, the anguished and pitiful screams tugging on his sympathies. He kept running, his chest feeling unbearably tight.

Several yards ahead of him, there was a young man lying in the muddied bank. He was curled into a protective ball, his bare skin, streaked with mud, almost illuminated. The man sobbed uncontrollably, his handsome face pressed against the ground. He pushed himself up on his elbows and let out a terrible scream as his weight was placed on his legs.

Kenpachi approached the man silently, his green eyes studying the other coolly. He dropped to his knees, pressing his hand softly to the back of the man's bare thigh. The man whimpered, his violet eyes meeting Kenpachi's. They shared a look in silence and then Kenpachi tore his shirt off and over his head. He pulled the garment down over the naked young man, smiling crookedly as the shirt swallowed the smaller man up. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." Yumichika admitted, his voice scratchy from screaming. "I haven't seen him."

Kenpachi bit down on his lip in worry and then looked back down at Yumichika. "Sorry, this's gonna hurt." Kenpachi had barely finished speaking before he climbed to his feet, lifting Yumichika into his arms. Yumichika hissed, his hands shooting toward his legs in agony. He cursed and bared his teeth threateningly. "We don't have time…" Kenpachi drawled. "Ikkaku doesn't have time."

"She hates you," Yumichika whispered, blanching as his body jostled. "What did you do to her?"

"It doesn't matter." Kenpachi said simply.

"The fuck it doesn't!" Yumichika snapped. "Look at me! I'm hideous! I'm disfigured! I'm ruined!" Yumichika groaned miserably before continuing. "She had him marked. I was doomed from the start!"

"There was a maiden in love with me, but I didn't love her back." Kenpachi quickened his pace, running alongside the river. "Because I was already in love with someone else…" Kenpachi turned toward the camp as he passed, silently bidding his home goodbye. "She killed the person I loved and then I killed her," Kenpachi's voice came out in a low growl. "She was the sea witch's daughter…" Kenpachi laughed bitterly. "That fuckin' bitch was s'ppose' ta put me to death, but when she read my palm…"

"What did she see?" Yumichika pressed, letting his head drop against Kenpachi's shoulder weakly.

"Bitch saw her fuckin' death." Kenpachi said as he came to an abrupt stop. He lowered Yumichika to the ground and approached the river. "Here." Kenpachi turned to look at Yumichika. "He's here."

* * *

Ikkaku was consumed by the water completely and for a few terrifying seconds he couldn't breathe. And then, with a great, painful burst, he took his first breath underwater. He paddled unsurely, his eyes open but unseeing. Blind and deaf, this mission was more than impossible, it was idiotic. Ikkaku pushed his doubt to the back of his mind and focused. The old woman's voice filled his mind, instructing him where to find Ryugu-jo and he swam blindly, diving deeper and deeper.

* * *

"You're too late," the old woman spoke, chuckling bitterly. "His fate is sealed."

Kenpachi turned slowly, facing the hideous old woman with an expressionless face. His green eyes scanned her entire body, settling at last on her mismatched eyes. "What did you do to him?" Kenpachi took a step forward, his entire body emanating hatred. "Where is he?"

"Now you can know my pain you bastard…" the sea witch screamed. She stormed forward and struck Kenpachi in the chest repeatedly. "You murderer! You human lover! You disgust me!" She stepped backward and looked up at Kenpachi with a delirious grin. "But I've won! I have won! You will pay! I will hurt you with this!"

"The human didn't do anything!" Yumichika shouted, pushing himself up with his arms, a look of defiance steeling his features. "You are harming innocent people!"

"You," the sea witch shrieked. "You are a human lover too! Disgusting!" The sea witch laughed cruelly. "You've been banished, you aren't welcome here anymore." The sea witch's face darkened. "Go spread your legs for the humans, it's what you wanted isn't it…"

"Why didn't you just kill Kenpachi?" Yumichika demanded, his brows furrowing with rage. "If he killed your daughter…"

"She can't." Kenpachi replied quickly, his eyes scanning the river desperately. "If she kills me, she will die too. She saw it herself nearly twenty years ago."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Ikkaku!" Yumichika shook his head and with a grunt he pushed himself onto his knees. He cursed, tears threatening to fall again. He glared at the sea witch his fingers digging into the sand. "Ikkaku wasn't even in Babylon!"

"I lost my only child." The old woman explained with an exacerbated sigh. "He will suffer the same way."

"You miscalculated." Kenpachi murmured. "There's nothin' stoppin' me from killin' you." Kenpachi opened his mouth, his jaw dislocating grotesquely. He shoved his hand into his mouth and down his throat, pulling the hook ended-harpoon from his body. The weapon was large, too large to be held in such a place, but he kept pulling and at last the enormous, silver weapon was free. In the bright sunlight it was clearly nothing short of a magnificent trident.

"You can never beat me." The witch insisted, shaking her head and sending her graying hair spraying in every direction.

"I don't have to beat you," Kenpachi growled, flipping the trident between hands. "I only have to get you to kill me."

"You wish to die?" the witch questioned.

"I die, you die." Kenpachi answered simply. "It's worth it ta me."

Yumichika gasped for air, paralyzing torment gripping his body as he attempted to stand. He sank back into the sand and chastised himself for the failure. He closed his eyes and bit down on his lip, moving his hands and then his knees slowly. He began to move forward, the sand scraping across his sensitive limbs like some form of torture. If he could only make it to the water, then he had a chance.

* * *

Ikkaku felt the temperature of the water rise and there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Something brushed against his shoulder and he raked his fingers through the water fearfully. "Hello?" Ikkaku called out, the water filling his mouth and nose in a most peculiar way. "Who's there?" There was a chorus of giggles and Ikkaku snarled, twisting from side to side blindly.

"What is it?" a young boy asked.

"A human boy… I think…" a woman answered.

"It's so ugly." Another woman scoffed.

"Awww, but I think it's cute!" A young girl whined.

"Shhh! You're scaring the poor thing!" the first woman chastised.

"How did it even get down here?" a young man asked.

"That witch is at her mischief again…" another warned.

"His head is so shiny and smooth…" a child of indeterminate gender questioned.

Ikkaku opened his mouth and let out a mighty roar, "Shut the fuck up! Who are you? Where am I? Where is Yumichika?"

"Which question do you want answered the most?"

"Where is Yumichika?!" Ikkaku repeated desperately, turning his head toward the source of the voice.

"He has been banished."

"Where is Ryugu-jo?" Ikkaku asked, beginning to panic. "I have to find him."

"Ryugu-jo?" a man asked with a disbelieving scoff. "You don't want to go there."

"I have to! I have to find Yumichika!"

"You don't understand, human." The man explained hesitantly. "Yumichika has been banished to the surface…" The man paused. "You've been tricked."

"Tricked?" Ikkaku repeated the word, letting the bad taste drip from his tongue. "The old woman… she said if I…"

* * *

Yumichika rolled to the side with a hiss, the sea witch's spear striking the sand where he had been a moment before. Kenpachi maneuvered around quickly, standing between the two defensively. "I'm your opponent. Don't look elsewhere." Kenpachi backed up, pushing his legs against Yumichika's torso. "Ya need ta get goin'."

"I know." Yumichika growled between clenched teeth. "I don't know how to use these… legs…"

"Use yer arms to crawl." Kenpachi suggested. "The legs will follow behind."

"Fine," Yumichika agreed. "Then _you_ keep her away from me."

"I don't need ya ta tell me that." Kenpachi thrust his trident forward, flipping it in his hand and using the butt to strike the sea witch in the stomach.

Yumichika dragged his lower body through the course, hot sand. He could feel the atmosphere behind him changing and he closed his eyes, too afraid of the sea witch's magic to keep them open. He clawed through wet sand and with a relieved sigh he rolled down the bank and into the river with a splash. He bobbed to the surface with a terrible gasp, his arms and legs floundering weakly. The current was strong and it was only a moment before he was washed downstream.

His body was flipped over and he was rolled mercilessly by the river. Yumichika's legs burned terribly, salt rubbing his fresh wounds. He hissed and gripped a reed tightly in his fist. He twisted the slimy green plant around his hand, securing himself in place long enough to catch his breath. Yumichika launched himself forward, his fingertips clutching the reeds desperately.

"Hurry up!" Kenpachi roared from the bank of the river. His green eyes narrowed in effort as he held the sea witch in place. Kenpachi's life wasn't in direct danger from the witch, but she would do anything to stop Yumichika. He shook his head, his long, black hair cascading down his muscled body. He clicked his tongue irritably as he studied Yumichika. "You can't do it, can ya?"

"Shut up!" Yumichika snapped, the anger in his violet eyes sending a shiver across Kenpachi's skin. "I'm not finished yet."

* * *

_"You're finished." _ Ikkaku couldn't say whether it was the sea witch's voice in his head or if some unknown speaker was inches from him.

"Shut up!" Ikkaku choked, his fingers scraping at his eyes blindly. "Shut up! Shut up!"

_"You're going to die."_

Ikkaku's rough hands pressed to his throat, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. He opened and closed his mouth, the water burning down his throat like a strong drink. "I can't die like this."

_"What did you expect?" _ the voice goaded. _"Why would you take such a ridiculous deal? You had to know it was pointless… and for what? For whom?" _

"Shut up!" Ikkaku screamed, his eyes open but unseeing. "Just shut the fuck up!" Ikkaku began to move, closing his eyes and, without a choice, trusting his gut. He swam hard, his arms and legs groaning beneath the crushing weight of the water.

"This way…" a small voice called out. Ikkaku shivered as a small, warm hand pressed into his. The hand tugged his gently, leading him upward in another direction. "This way to the surface…"

"Is this another trick?" Ikkaku asked exhaustedly, his voice low and defeated.

"Trust me." The child whispered, placing a hand on Ikkaku's left ear. "You don't have time to decide. Just trust me."

* * *

Colored flashes of light danced through the rippling water. Yumichika's mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown and then he smiled, his bloodied, battered hands releasing the reeds. He soared backward over the water, his arms spread like an eagle. His arms were gripped above the elbows and he took a deep breath. Within moments he had been pulled below the surface, his body cutting through the water like a knife.

* * *

Ikkaku's skull felt as if it was being crushed. He screamed, water filling his lungs with deadly intent. The potion had not lasted three hours, it had all been a lie. Ikkaku couldn't cough, couldn't sputter, couldn't retch as the water choked him. It felt as if his entire body had been filled with water, from the head to the toes. It wasn't painful. He didn't scream. He didn't need to. A bit of blood poured from his nose and, as the small hand let go of his, he fell asleep.

He bobbed to the surface with an earsplitting rush. His right ear drum exploded, the small sensitive organ inside bleeding profusely. The pain roused him and he gasped for air. He was confused and in agony, his chest, lungs, throat and ear burning. He slapped at the water weakly, attempting to paddle enough to stay above the surface. He would have been swept down river and drowned if not for the two small hands that gripped his arms forcefully, holding him up.

"Are you alive?" the creature asked, her voice peculiar sounding out of the water.

"Yeah," Ikkaku muttered weakly, spitting water as he spoke. "I think so."


	3. Part III

_"__Are you alive?"_

"Yeah," Ikkaku could barely speak, water spewing from his mouth as he tried. He cleared his throat and coughed for several minutes. "I think so."

_"__Are you alive?"_

"I…" Ikkaku's hand brushed against the earth and he froze. Confusion turned to fear as he blindly searched the sandy ground beneath him. He had just surfaced, but now he was on land? _What the hell is going on? _Ikkaku climbed to his hands and knees. "Hello?" His voice was raspy and raw and he could barely hear it.

His hand touched a bit of damp cloth. Ikkaku sat quickly, pulling the cloth into his lap curiously. It was a sack of some sort and smelled strongly of fish and salt. He dropped it and rolled back onto his knees. "Hello! Anyone…"

Ikkaku groaned in misery, rolling himself into a little ball. His eyes clamped shut and he screamed, spit flying from his mouth. He beat his fists into the sand and sank lower and lower into the ground. He was defeated. It was over. He had thrown it all away and had nothing to show for it.

_"__Are you alive?"_

_Not for long, _Ikkaku thought hopelessly.

"Shhh… don't cry." A man's voice, incredibly distant, commanded gently. Warm, muscled arms wrapped around him and he was lifted into another's lap. "Men don't cry."

A faint recollection tickled Ikkaku's memory and he smiled. Those exact words had been spoken to him before. It was another life when his only worry was eating another bowl of cabbage soup. Ikkaku's hand snaked across the other's forearm. It was a thin arm, thinner than his and he furrowed his brows. "Who's there? What do you want?"

And then their eyes met. Ikkaku blinked in surprise, staring up into Yumichika's violet eyes. His dark lashes fluttered and his almond eyes widened in surprise. His hand darted to his face and he exclaimed, "I can see you!"

Ikkaku grinned from ear to ear and lunged upright, bringing Yumichika into his arms. His lips connected with Yumichika's loudly, sloppily. Yumichika sat back in surprise but Ikkaku didn't give him any leeway. Ikkaku's lips rained small kisses over every inch of Yumichika's skin. "You're alive. You're okay…"

Yumichika smiled unsurely. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ikkaku sighed anxiously. "I can barely hear you though…"

"You're not hurt anywhere," Yumichika placed his palm against Ikkaku's bloodied ear gently. "Except here right?"

"Yeah, just the ear really…"

"Good." Yumichika said simply with a nod. Then his mouth turned downward, in-between a frown and a snarl. He slapped Ikkaku upside the head, bringing his palm down against Ikkaku's bare chest repeatedly. "You absolute idiot! What do you think you are doing? I swear!" Yumichika's smooth voice churned, the shrill notes at the end of each word sending a shiver down Ikkaku's spine. Yumichika pinched Ikkaku's side roughly and Ikkaku yipped, gripping both of Yumichika's wrists. "You fool! Why…?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Ikkaku said with a nervous laugh. He held Yumichika's hands together, struggling to keep the other from striking him again. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

"No thanks to your stupidity!" Yumichika broke free of Ikkaku's hold and slapped the other's chest once again halfheartedly. "Fucking idiot." Yumichika muttered. And then, with a breathless sigh, he collapsed into Ikkaku's arms.

"Are you alright?" Ikkaku asked in a panic. He looked down and realized that Yumichika had legs, _human legs_. Ikkaku clutched Yumichika tightly, pulling him into a more comfortable hold. "Your tail…"

"Listen," Yumichika shook his head sadly, not able to meet Ikkaku's eyes. "The sea witch is set on exacting revenge. You are not safe here anymore. You should go." They waited in silence for several long moments before Yumichika cleared his throat. "Lay me down please."

Ikkaku lowered Yumichika to the sand, placing him softly on the ground. Something caught the corner of his eye and he turned in time to be struck in the face hard. He gasped and then dropped to the ground, rolling away from the sudden attack. He climbed to his feet, his healing thigh stinging in protest. "You tricked me."

The sea witch clicked her tongue. "I thought it a waste to kill ya outright." She shrugged and smiled, her mismatched eyes glittering dangerously.

"Where is Kenpachi?" Yumichika asked, eyeing the trident in the sea witch's hands.

"He's been held up." The sea witch cackled.

Ikkaku's finger brushed through the blood that was dripping down his cheek. He looked at the hook ended spear and smiled bitterly. "What the fuck did we ever do to you?" Ikkaku snarled.

"I've already explained myself." The sea witch said dismissively. "I believe in an eye for an eye." The sea witch turned the trident over in her hands. "The moment you became his you were doomed."

"His?" Ikkaku questioned, taking an involuntary step backward as the witch approached.

"Your _father's _son."

"You need to run, Ikkaku," Yumichika instructed lowly. "I can barely move. I can't fight."

"I'm not leaving you." Ikkaku spat, his eyes locked onto the sea witch.

"I'm not the one in danger." Yumichika barked. "Go!"

"I'm not running away." Ikkaku continued, sparing a glance toward Yumichika. "It's time to end this."

"IKKAKU!" Kenpachi roared in the distance.

Ikkaku's head turned toward the hill and the sea witch took the distraction in her favor. She whirled the trident around and struck Ikkaku in the abdomen forcefully. He staggered backward, out of breath, his eyes searching the area for a weapon, any weapon.

"Ikkaku! Go! You can't fight her!" Yumichika screamed. "You can't beat her magic or his trident!"

The sea witch attacked, her old, heavy body moving with incredible speed and accuracy. Ikkaku barely dodged as he slid through the sand. He grabbed the small, wet cloth sack and tore it open. He smiled and shook his head, rolling to the side, narrowly escaping her next barrage of attacks. "I've been on the wrong end of that trident before." Ikkaku stated, circling around the sea witch to higher ground. "I can handle it."

"Kenpachi!" Yumichika began to yell, calling because Ikkaku refused to do so. "Kenpachi, he needs you!"

The sea witch smiled, a monstrous, horned tail snaking its way out from behind her back. With a hiss, her forked tongue darted between her teeth. "You will die today, mortal."

Ikkaku pulled the desired object from the sack and let the soaking, tattered cloth fall to the ground. He nodded and smiled brightly. "Probably."

The sea witch rushed forward, her body moving unnaturally, like a curtain in the breeze. She struck Ikkaku in the shoulder and kept rushing, pinning him against the tree with a sickening thud. Ikkaku groaned, a snarl ripping from his throat.

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika cried out, pushing himself onto his wobbling knees weakly. Sweat beaded down his cheek and his entire body shook from the agony. "Leave him be!"

"Human lovers are disgusting." The sea witch barked, leaning into the trident. She turned back to face Ikkaku and let out a hideous scream. She began to flail, her arms flapping at her sides uncontrollably. She shrieked and cursed, her hands catching the blood that fell from her eye. She tossed her head from side to side like an injured dog, the rusted knife lodged in her eye glistening.

Her tail whipped around her and launched forward, piercing through Ikkaku's throat. He let out a gurgled cry, his unpinned arm shooting to his throat. Yumichika screamed, his words undoubtedly the curses of his native tongue. "Just die!" the sea witch moaned. "Just die! Just die! Just die already!"

"Ikkaku!" Kenpachi's voice cracked as he ran toward the tree. His hands gripped and pulled at his hair. He paced back and forth a few seconds before wrenching the trident from Ikkaku's shoulder and arm. Ikkaku fell forward, Kenpachi catching him and placing his hand against the wound in his throat. "Ya fuckin' bitch…" Kenpachi spat at the sea witch, his green eyes flashing in warning.

"You will know my pain." The sea witch purred, her voice deep and raspy. She watched Kenpachi and Ikkaku with her remaining eye, a smile curling up the hideous corners of her mouth.

Ikkaku's tanned skin turned a sickly gray color, blood splashing across his neck and chest with startling contrast. Ikkaku opened his mouth to speak, his white teeth stained a curious shade of pink. His words were strangled and intelligible. He shook his head and smiled.

A peculiar noise ripped from Kenpachi's throat, it was heavy and sorrowful. He pulled the smaller man against his chest, letting his hand fall from the gaping wound in Ikkaku's throat. Ikkaku's head rolled forward and came to rest on Kenpachi's chest. Kenpachi wrapped both arms around Ikkaku, holding him tightly, not wanting to let go. Ikkaku tried to speak again and Kenpachi shook his head, placing his lips against Ikkaku's clammy forehead, "Shhh…"

Ikkaku looked up slowly, a strange warmth spreading over his body, radiating from Kenpachi's large hands. Kenpachi's eyes were closed, his brow knit tightly with focus. The sea witch scoffed, her eye narrowed. "You don't have enough power to save him… he's too far gone."

"Yumichika…" Kenpachi spoke quietly, ignoring the sea witch. "Do you have the strength to save him?"

"I don't know, he's hurt very badly."

"Yumichika! Can you fuckin' save 'im or not?!" Kenpachi roared.

"Y-yes." Yumichika replied, nodding emphatically. Kenpachi lowered Ikkaku onto the ground beside Yumichika. The two exchanged a solemn look and Yumichika nodded, his eyes darting toward the trident.

"Take care of him." Kenpachi breathed out slowly, bending to retrieve the trident from the sandy bank of the river.

"I will." Yumichika promised, his violet eyes lowering.

"You can't defeat me." The sea witch cried out, her mouth twisting into a pucker. "It has been forseen! You can't kill me, Kenpachi!"

"Maybe not," Kenpachi growled, twisting the trident in his hands. "But he can."

"Not unless-" the sea witch gasped, realizing too late what Kenpachi had intended to do. She rushed forward and then with a cry sank to the ground in horror. "What have you done!?"

Kenpachi had moved seamlessly, flipping the trident around, jamming the smooth handle into the sand beneath his feet. He rushed forward, dropping with his full weight onto the hooked points of the trident. Blood dripped down the blades, pooling in the sand. He touched his stomach gingerly, his fingertips pressing against the trident. He opened his mouth to groan and blood and spit gushed forward and spilled over his chin.

"What have you done?" the sea witch howled again.

"Anything… f-for… that… kid…" Kenpachi mumbled, his finger tracing shapes into the sand. He took a rattled breath and laughed, a sickening and heartbreaking sound, and then his body sank further down onto the trident, his head flopping forward. And then he moved no more.

It was several long moments before the witch snapped back into reality. "Y-y-you… do you think I'll let you finish healing him?" The sea witch pointed at Yumichika accusingly. Her tail whipped around her body irritably as she climbed back to her feet.

"If you think I'll let you touch him, you have another think coming." Yumichika replied, much more confidently than he felt.

"You are powerless." The sea witch goaded, stepping toward the two slowly. "There is no one here to save you… Y-" The sea witch was cut off as a stone hit her squarely in the back. She stumbled forward in surprise and then spun on her heels, hissing in anger as another stone pelted her in the chest.

"Hey! Hey! Over here! Hey!" Up on the hill the children began to shout. They waved their hands tauntingly and shouted profanities. The older children resumed throwing stones, their aim infuriatingly accurate. "Hey, fat old hag! Over here!"

"You little assholes! Stop it! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you miserable creatures! Aghh!" She howled as a rock struck her in the cheek, she threw her hands up in the air, blocking her face. "How dare you!" The children continued their assault, the middle aged children, usually the bravest, creeping closer and closer while the youngest children rushed to and fro with handwoven baskets of rocks.

"Hey, bitch." Yumichika shouted, punching the witch in the face as she turned. She rolled downhill from the force, landing on her stomach with her dress-skirt around her head. Yumichika looked up the hill at the children and smiled sadly, his chest swelled and he had to clear his throat before speaking. "Thank you, children. Now go and hide. It's too dangerous." Yumichika staggered on his legs, nearly collapsing.

"It's just an old woman!" one of the girls shouted. "A wretched old woman!"

"She's not," Yumichika called out, taking a careful step toward the sea witch. "She's a witch and-"

"A witch is only a witch if you believe in her!" another child called out, readying a stone in her hand. "Tha's wha' Kenpachi always says! Magic can't hurt ya, if ya don't believe in it!"

_Bullshit,_ Yumichika thought sourly.

The sea witch stirred and, with great effort, pushed herself to her hands and knees. She huffed, her thinning hair shooting out in every direction. "Kenpachi is dead, you miserable brats!" The sea witch gestured to the gruesome display with a grin. "You see you fu-" Another barrage of stones forced the sea witch to curl into a protective ball on the bank of the river.

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" Ikkaku's voice tore through the clearing as he scrambled on hand and knee to where Kenpachi's body remained. His hands fumbled, pressing first Kenpachi's chest and then his head. "NO! God, please, no!" Ikkaku sobbed, pressing his shoulder against Kenpachi's body and heaving him upward, and off, the trident. He pulled Kenpachi's body gently beside his, his hands reaching out to touch and then pulling back over and over again. "No…" His eyes fell on the small words drawn into the sand. _Keep your promise. _

Ikkaku wiped his wet face with his hands and cleared his throat. He pushed Kenpachi's eyelids down and whispered what he could remember from his Grandmother's prayers before standing up. He yanked the bloodied trident from the earth and turned, walking toward the river. "That man was the greatest I've ever known." He looked at the sea witch with pointed eyes. "And now he's dead."

"He did it to himself." The witch hissed, eyeing Ikkaku with hatred.

"Because of the prophecy." Ikkaku finished with a bitter laugh.

"Why do you laugh?" the witch asked.

"Because I don't believe in that shit. Fate, prophecies, destiny! I'll make my own!" Ikkaku yelled. "No one else decides who I am going to be."

"So Kenpachi died for nothing?" the witch mused, smiling with pleasure. "Interesting that you think so."

"My _father_ didn't die for nothing…" Ikkaku barked, balancing the weight of the trident between both hands. "You believe in this prophecy stuff. You believe in it enough that it'll be the death of ya." Ikkaku pressed forward, pushing the sea witch to the edge of the bank. "Or rather, I will kill you."

"Do you have it in you to kill another?" The sea witch questioned. "At this point, you're only driving me toward the river. I can swim, I can escape. What makes you so confident?"

"You tell me." Ikkaku breathed. "You tell me why you stink of fear. If Kenpachi dies, you die. How? Did you _see_ that, witch? You think I'll do it, don't you?"

"I'm not trapped. I'm in no danger." The witch insisted, her foot stepping down onto the wooden dock. She turned around, eyeing the river with a smile. Ikkaku followed, his bare feet pressing onto the warm, freshly replaced wood. "This is all pointless."

The witch backed away toward the river and several of the children cried out in anger and frustration. Yumichika took a step forward, expecting Ikkaku to attack and the witch to flee. Ikkaku stopped suddenly, his eyes on the worn wood beneath his feet, and lowered the trident. The witch smiled victoriously, vowing to all, "I will return. I will have my revenge. You will suffer… all of you…"

She turned and with a loud crash she was halfway in the water. At first, Yumichika thought she had leapt to freedom, but instead she had fallen through a weak bit of rotted wood. Her left breast, shoulder and head were still pinned in the hole of the pier. She let out a small exclamation of surprise and began to wriggle. She grunted and cursed, twisting every which way. She was impossibly stuck.

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika called out, unsure of what he should say. He wanted Ikkaku to kill the witch. She needed to die. She was a wretched existence. She hurt many creatures with no remorse. But then, he took pause. Could he ask Ikkaku to kill a living thing? Ikkaku was burly and sour. He was impatient and loud and obnoxious, but he was also gentle. He respected life, whether he knew it or not. _I'll do it,_ Yumichika realized. _I'll finish it for him_.

Ikkaku took a step back and then another as Yumichika came forward. Ikkaku reached for Yumichika's hand as he passed, keeping him in place. He stood silently, the glowing colors in the river reflecting on his skin. They watched the witch, searching her uninjured eye as she realized what was happening. The river was thick with bursting light, beams of color nearly blinding them. "You! You wouldn't dare!" The witch shrieked in panic.

A golden creature's head emerged from the water, her lips uncurling, not with song, but with a bloodthirsty growl. There was no beauty in her features as it approached the sea witch, its thin, needle-like fangs bared. "Stop! No! Please! Help me!"

Another creature popped up beside the first, and then another, and then another. They reached out with spindly hands, clawing into the sea witch's flesh. Ikkaku closed his eyes as the sea witch began to scream in torment, but Yumichika watched, relishing every moment of agony she suffered until she was pulled through the hole in the dock and into the river.

"It is over." Yumichika said, turning to look at Ikkaku.

Ikkaku opened his eyes and nodded. He lifted the trident off the dock and sighed, clutching it to his chest. "Yeah."

"Ah! Oh-" Yumichika gasped before collapsing onto the dock with a thud. He let out a moan, biting down on his hand hard enough to draw blood. He groaned and grunted, his nails clawing the wood beneath which curled into tiny ribbon shavings.

"Yumichika!" Ikkaku cried out, dropping to his knees in concern. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?"

"It.." Yumichika gasped, his eyes growing wide. "It burns…"

"What? Where?" Ikkaku repeated, overwhelmed. He placed his hands on Yumichika's face gently.

"Ikkaku!" One of the boys yelled. "Something's happening to Kenpachi!"

Ikkaku turned as the children began to shout. It was true. Kenpachi's body steamed, his skin, still stained with blood, glittering in the sun. Ikkaku watched as a magnificent red tail unfurled where Kenpachi's legs had been. Kenpachi remained motionless, his chest unmoving, his lungs breathless.

"Ikkaku." Yumichika groaned. "The witch… her curse is b-broken…" Ikkaku sat back on his feet, his hand reaching out to touch the silvery, fanlike tail that had reformed from Yumichika's legs. "My tail…" Yumichika laughed through the pain, sitting up and examining his body in relief.

"It's over." Ikkaku said with a nod. He stood, and still clutching the trident, walked back toward the tree. He stuck the trident into the ground near the trunk and slowly turned to look at Kenpachi. "There's no bringin' back the dead though, eh?" Ikkaku wiped his face as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Not like I believe in miracles anyway."

* * *

"Ikkaku!" Ikkaku looked down at the child tugging on his arm and smiled impatiently. "Is this basket right?"

"Yeah, sure, sure." Ikkaku replied absently, stroking the girl's hair affectionately. "It's fine."

"It's lopsided." One of the boys argued with a smirk. "It's shit."

"You know what's shit?" Ikkaku barked. "Your breath. Shut up or fuck off."

The children giggled and Ikkaku paused, turning to eye them all playfully. He growled and reached out, the children scattering and shrieking. Ikkaku laughed from his belly and shook his head. "Better watch out…" Ikkaku warned. "I know just how the river monsters like ta eat children…" Ikkaku made claws with his hands and pretended to pluck at the children. "It takes a bit o' salt'n'pepper, but it's rather tender meat!"

The children ran and yelled as Ikkaku chased, some of the older boys and girls joining in as the monsters. Once Ikkaku had captured the last tasty child, he declared it was bedtime and the entire camp broke into a sudden, inconsolable despair. "Come on, hurry up, we gotta get up early t'morrow. Fish ain't gonna catch themselves…"

Reluctantly, the children wandered off to their sleeping mats, the older children tending to the youngest. Ikkaku sat and watched them until the last child had given into exhaustion. He smiled and stood, walking toward the river alone.

Ikkaku took off his sandals, shirt and pants, folding them neatly beneath the tree. "Man," Ikkaku breathed. "I missed you today." He bumped his fist against the rough trunk of the tree and nodded wordlessly. He pushed onto his tiptoes and pulled down a basket hidden in the branches. He grabbed several bottles of ale before replacing the basket.

He rolled his shoulders backward and cracked his neck, heading toward the river. He danced along the edge of the pier, his toes flexing against the wood. He dipped his toes into the cold water and sat down at the end, kicking his feet in the water casually. He uncorked the bottle of ale and took a grateful swig. "Ah." He smacked his lips and sighed in appreciation. _That hits the spot._

"You are late."

"Sorry," Ikkaku apologized, placing the bottle between his legs and giving a bow. "Kids wouldn't go to sleep."

"You are so domestic." Yumichika noted reaching up and taking the bottle from between Ikkaku's legs. He poured some of the brown liquid into the river with a smile as Ikkaku protested. "You shouldn't drink so much."

"Firs' of all, I brought enough ta share… and second, I promised my dad. This is all he wanted. This shitty lil' shack on the river, bunch o' kids no one else wants…"

"I know…" Yumichika answered replacing the bottle and placing his hands on either side of Ikkaku. He pushed upward, his arms flexing impressively as he raised himself to Ikkaku's level. Yumichika pressed his lips against Ikkaku's softly, his violet eyes watching the other intently. "And _you_ know I don't drink that sludge."

"Cause you can't handle it." Ikkaku taunted before kissing Yumichika's lips gently.

"Because it tastes like piss from the bottle." Yumichika insisted, slightly insulted. "And twice as bad when it comes back up."

"I like it." Ikkaku replied with a shrug.

"And there is no accounting for taste." Yumichika waved his hand dismissively. "Humans have poor and unsophisticated pallets after all."

"Hey," Ikkaku protested, his almond-shaped eyes glimmering. "You were human once too."

"Worst three hours of my life." Yumichika teased.

"God, what I'd give for another three hours though…" Ikkaku said pointedly, raising his brow suggestively.

"So crass." Yumichika clicked his tongue chastely. His lips pressed to Ikkaku's once more before he lowered himself back into the water. "You know, Ikkaku…" Yumichika swam backward slowly, his muscled arms resting on top of the water. "I can breathe underwater."

"Yeah." Ikkaku nodded unsurely. "Of course."

Yumichika threw his head back and laughed, the smile reaching his eyes. He crooked his finger and beckoned Ikkaku closer. "You're going to be a lot of work, human."


End file.
